


I told you to be better (and you became the best)

by HaruK



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man - All Media Types, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Aromantic, Asexual Character, BAMF Peter Parker, BAMF Tony Stark, Character Death, Coming Out, Fluff and Angst, Heavy Angst, Hurt Tony Stark, Identity Reveal, Kid Peter Parker, Kidnapped Peter Parker, Kidnapping, May Parker (Spider-Man) & Tony Stark Coparenting Peter Parker, Minor Character Death, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Parent Tony Stark, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Peter Parker is Tony Stark's Biological Child, Precious Peter Parker, Protective May Parker (Spider-Man), Protective Tony Stark, Sassy Peter, Secret Identity, Teen Peter Parker, Tony Stark Feels, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Has Issues, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, Tony Stark-centric, Tony is an Anti-Hero, Villain Tony Stark, and everyone loves him for it, anti-hero ironman, hes just doing his best, or rather, spiderman - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-24
Updated: 2019-12-26
Packaged: 2020-05-18 22:54:00
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 45,530
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19344331
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HaruK/pseuds/HaruK
Summary: Tony was blessed with a healthy baby boy, and for once in his life, was actually happy.Until everything derailed and he had to send his son away to keep him safe, because those related to the Stark family, one of the worlds biggest and most targeted families in the black market, always end up hurt.With a new name and identity that Tony himself doesn't know, the young baby was wiped off the map, his existence erased, never to be heard of again..Years later, Anti-hero Iron Man meets a local superhero vigilante and Tony becomes surprisingly close with young Peter Parker.





	1. Chapter 1

Tony was twenty-three when his son was born. 

It was a smooth process that got over comparatively quickly, with a healthy baby boy and a weak, yet recovering mother. 

Which was what Tony’s henchmen had told him, he wasn't actually there. He was too busy running his father’s company, or fighting off a group of thugs, or sleeping with another woman/man. He didn't really remember.

Tony didn't want to be a father. The minute he found out that his hook up was pregnant, a random one night stand, he demanded that she terminate it. However, she was insistent that she wanted the baby, and she would accept it if he didn't want to be a part of their lives. Who was Tony to deny her that?

So, finally, after nine months, Tony’s child was born, and he couldn't care less. 

Not that he was completely heartless. During her pregnancy, Tony provided for all sorts of things, bought the mother books, clothes, went with her occasionally to gynecologist appointments (the only reason he did so was because she was uncomfortable having random guards in the medical room, watching her as the doctor examined and checked up parts of her that she didn't want them to see. Leaving the woman who was carrying the heir to the Stark industries alone was absolutely not allowed, so Tony went to the appointments instead, to give her a peace of mind) and he would deny that seeing the tiny fetus scan pop up on screen made his heart beat a bit faster. 

He had a plan. Once the baby was born, it and the mother were going to be sent away. New names, new identities, completely off the map so that they can stay safe. 

Because it's a known fact that anyone involved with the Stark's, the world’s richest and deadliest business family turned gang leaders, were not going to be safe.

They had their henchmen who were the most desperate, will do anything for money, men and women out there willing to put their lives on the line, without asking questions. Of course, there were the people, professionals, who were closer to the Stark's, but only fools from rival gangs would even think of touching them. Not that they haven't tried. Only those truly desperate join such battles, and it's a common fact that their lives were as disposable as money. Over the years, the kill count of those involved was too large to keep track of, friend and foe alike. 

And at the center of it all, was Howard Stark. 

Howard started off as a simple businessman, but soon realized that selling and dealing weapons in the black market was a more...fulfilling line of duty. From then on, he started his underground network, creating massive forces of destruction, weapon after weapon, millions after millions in his bank account. One of his clients, an Italian mob boss, was his favorite. The man was crazy over the guns, and luckily, had a really hot daughter. 

Fast forward nine months, and Tony was born. Turns out one night hook-ups run in the family. 

When you grow up as the son of a billionaire whose head is a target, you learn to fear the world and fight to stay alive. Tony’s childhood consisted of Howard's guards beating the shit out of him, being deprived of food for days, being dunked in water upside down all in the name of ‘endurance training’, so that if someone kidnapped him, he wouldn't give away all of the Stark industries secrets. 

Not that he knew anything anyway, especially as a child. But, Howard's paranoia was not unfounded. 

Tony remembered the first time someone tried to kill him. 

He was around five years old. His mother had taken him to a private park. Other kids and their parents might be used to get to Tony, so even him having friends of his age was out of the question. 

As it was private, there were a few staff members to help out Maria in whatever she needed. His mother looked at him fondly, as the two of them played together, creating sand castles. All the peace was suddenly disturbed when one of the waiters came forward, with a silver tray in hand, on top of which were balanced two drinks for them. 

It was thanks to Maria’s quick wit and observation, that she had realized just in time that the person wasn't one of their staff, and managed to subdue him before he stabbed Tony with the knife he had hid inside his sleeve. Ever since then, protection around Tony increased drastically, as well as his training. 

Fast forward to eighteen years later, Maria was waiting by his room, her back on the wall as she leaned against it. She looked tired, a solemn expression on her face as she stared at the floor. Maria was a lover, not a fighter. This kind of life did not belong to someone as lovely as she was and Tony had always cursed his father for getting her involved in the first place.

“Mother.” Tony had said, announcing his arrival. She looked up, a sudden brightness in her eyes as she saw him, “Tony,” she gasped, as she walked towards him, arms stretched out, she pulled him in for a hug, “Oh, congratulations darling.”

“Thanks.” he had said, hugging her back, “For what?”

She pulled back, frowning, “Your Son? You’re a father now, Tony.”

“Oh, yes, right.” he had said, playing it off, “I heard it went well.”

“...You haven't seen him?”

“Nope. Everything going according to plan, in a few days, the child and his mother will go incognito and we won't have to worry about them.”

“ **_Your_ ** child.” Maria then stressed, clearly upset at his attitude, “Tony, you’re not even going to meet the boy?”

“Why?” Tony shrugged, “What’s the point. I’m never going to see him again”

“Which is exactly why you need to see him, at least once. If you don't, you’ll regret it.”

Tony was about to argue again, but Maria shot him a glare, and his resolve died. He never could deny the only person in his life that showed him any sort of love and affection. ‘ _ Well, whatever,’ _ he thought, _ ‘I'll just pop by the medical room, say hello to the kid and his mother and then leave.’ _

He had then strutted up to the place, nodding gently at the guards outside the room before letting himself in. The medical rooms were basically, exactly like a hospitals, equipped with the best technology and even better doctors on their payroll. The mother (her name was Emma, a biologist and that's pretty much all Tony knew about her. They had met randomly at the bar, both drunk and high off their rocks but sober enough to consent to a night in her bedroom.) was on the bed, asleep. Her chocolate brown curls fell across her shoulders, and her long eyelashes rested on her cheeks. She looked beautiful. 

A gurgle came from the glass crib beside the bed, which had tore Tony’s mind away from the sleeping woman, and towards the real reason he was there. Slowly, so as to not wake her up, Tony had made his way towards the crib,’

And in it, there was the cutest baby he had ever seen.

The kid was snuggled up in a blue blanket, the smallest cap covered his head, decorated with stars and circles. Tony could make out the slightest brown curls beneath it. The baby’s eyes were closed, in a deep sleep, but occasionally he had opened his mouth to gurgle, a little pink tongue sticking out as he yawned. He had the tiniest, cutest little button nose, and his cheeks were plump and pink. Tony’s heartbeat elevated when he saw all this. His heart swelled, and heat flushed into his cheeks. What was going on? Just looking at this baby made him feel...weird. Ten minutes passed, and all he did was lean over the crib and stare at his child. 

“Do you want to hold him?” a voice suddenly called out.

Tony turned to the side, and saw that Emma had woken up, a smile on her face. 

“Uh...Yeah, sure.” Tony paused, “H-How do I do that?”

Emma chuckled, before she started to direct him, “Well, be careful. One hand under his neck and the other under his back, just pick him up slowly and then cradle him in your arms.”

“Ok...Ok, i got this.”

“It’s picking up a baby, Tony, it's not rocket science.”

“I probably find rocket science easier.”

Not delaying any longer, Tony then slowly reached into the crib, doing as Emma directed. He had cooed silently at how his hands were bigger than the baby’s head, and had carefully lifted him up. The baby fidgeted for a second, which made Tony freeze up, but Emma told him that was normal and coaxed him to keep going. With a bit more help, Tony finally had the baby safely secured in his arms. His head was supported by the curve of the inside of Tony’s elbow, but there was a hand under his neck anyway, just for extra protection. 

And that was when the baby opened his eyes, and Tony fell in love.

He had...the biggest, most beautiful eyes Tony had ever seen. They were a lovely chocolate brown, and he had looked up at Tony after blinking a couple of times. He snorted a bit, through his tiny nose, but his eyes had never left his fathers. 

“H...Hi there.” Tony then said, softly, overwhelmed with emotion. It was all hitting him at once, “I’m your daddy.” Right there, Tony understood that fond look his mother would get when she saw him, and even occasionally, from his father. A whirlwind of thoughts rushed through his head, but he could say one thing for certain, he already loved that baby and wanted to give him the whole world. 

He carefully sat on the bed, besides Emma. Slowly removing his hand from under the baby’s head, making sure he was still secure, Tony ran one finger softly down his child's cheeks and button nose. He must have found it ticklish, cause once Tony’s fingers were on his nose, the baby let out a small sneeze, which startled the man. 

“What? Is he OK?” Tony had asked, a bit panicked.

“He’s fine, Tony.” Emma consoled, “It was just a sneeze. Very normal for a baby to do that.”

“Oh. OK, good.” Tony was close to having a small panic. Even the idea that something might have been wrong with his baby was too much for him.

“Are- Are you crying?”

“What?” Tony brushed under his eyes, and sure enough, he was beginning to tear up, “No.” he denied, “Just...Just a bit emotional i guess.”

Emma placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, “Hey, I’m not judging. I bawled my eyes out when he was born, even if he was a bit gross and covered in blood.” she paused before saying: “He’s beautiful, isn't he?”

Tony sighed, not taking his eyes off his Son, “He’s the best.” 

A comfortable silence washed over them as both the parents watched over their child, grateful and full of love. 

“I’m really glad you came, Tony.” she had said, quietly, “I wanted you to at least meet him.”

“Yeah, about that.” Tony said, his attention diverted towards her, speaking from the heart before his brain could catch up, “How would you feel about...sticking around for awhile?”

“...Really?” she asked.

“Yes. Please. I just-” he held the baby a bit tighter towards him, “I didn't know...this was how it felt.”

“How what felt?”

“Having a kid.” he explained, “I want to be there, to be his father, to take care of him and raise him with you, I…” he sighed, running a finger through the baby’s cheek again which made the child snuggle more into his warmth and then, Tony was close to crying, “I want to be there for him.”

Emma’s eyes welled up, a sob breaking out, “Oh Tony.” she gasped, “I would love to stay.”

“Really?” Tony had asked, relieved.

“Yes.” she grinned, sniffing, “Yes, God. I’m so glad you asked. I was prepared to leave if you didn't, of course but...I was really scared about raising him alone.”

“I’m scared too.” Tony admitted, which was a first. It was the start of a long line of ‘firsts’, “But between you and me and my parents and even our employees, we’re going to be fine.”

“But, what about our safety?  _ His  _ safety?” she had asked, gesturing towards their son, “If anyone finds out about him, Tony…” she didn't need to finish that thought. They knew, even back then, that it was dangerous. That was why they formed the previous plan of erasing them off the map so they could live safe, full lives. But Tony, his heart filled with love and ignorance had simply said: “Better you’re here with me, that out there with no protection.”

How naive they were. But right there, in that moment, they enjoyed that feeling. 

“Hear that little one?” Tony asked his son, planting a soft kiss to his forehead, “We’re going to be a big happy family.”

~~~~~


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: Heavy angst and character death

The bedroom door creaked loudly, and Tony cringed. He always meant to oil the hinges (or rather, get someone else to do it but he would forget). He peaked in, worried that the noise disturbed his son, but things seemed to be fine. Quietly, he then entered the room, making his way through the toys that had been thrown around the floor. The baby had an abundance of toys, being spoilt rotten from both his parents, and grandparents, and it hadn’t shown signs of stopping. It definitely wasn't going to stop on that particular day.

After all, it was young Caleb's first birthday.

It had been one whole year since Tony’s Son, Caleb Howard Stark, was born. Tony was, for the first time in a long time, actually happy. 

The child and his mother had settled in with him nicely. Soon after the birth, Emma had moved in with him, in the Stark family house (They would call it a house, but it was more like a mansion) to raise their child together. Maria had been overjoyed, that they had made the decision to be a family and welcomed them with open arms. Howard was a bit more… disappointed and skeptical. He was mostly upset that all their preparation and planning had gone to waste. But once he saw that baby, when his older finger was wrapped within the soft, small hand of his grandson, all his complaints melted away. 

 Tony and his family were a witness to something never before seen, Howard Stark being a loving guardian. 

Not that it was surprising. Caleb...was just so pure and innocent, one look at him, and everyone would fall in love. He had the brightest eyes, the pinkest chubby cheeks, and his voice… his voice was the cutest most heavenly thing Tony had ever heard. The baby couldn't say much at the time, just the occasional gurgles and babbling (and if they were lucky, laughter.) but still, Tony had treasured it. Even their employees, who were given direct orders to not interfere with personal family matters, especially with matters regarding Caleb, (they were trying their best to keep his identity a secret. No one up-to that point, knew that the baby existed, which was what kept him safe) had found themselves fighting over whose turn it was to babysit. Not that it was necessary, the Stark family and Emma were more than happy to take care of Caleb together. If Tony and Emma weren't looking after him, Maria and Howard would take over. It also helped that Caleb was the least fussiest baby in the world. If he was hungry, he would cry. If he was sleepy, he would sleep wherever he was, because he knew someone would take him to his crib. If he felt fussy or restless, he would flap his arms and babble until someone picked him up and played with him. When he wanted a hug (which used to be all the time, he was the cuddliest baby ever) he would simply crawl up to someone and clutch onto their legs, and because he was Caleb, the person being hugged used to always picked him up and give him a cuddle. 

              Tony, just loved being a dad. He had never loved anything as much as he loved that kid, and everyone knew it. Caleb quickly became the reason why he looked forward to waking up the next day. Holding his son in his arms, playing with him, teaching him, spoiling him, he loved every second of it. Even the not-so-great parts of parenting, like changing diapers and the middle-of-the-night screaming, he accepted them and had held onto those moments. He knew Caleb wouldn't be a baby forever, so any chance he had spent with his son, he had cherished it. 

Tony walked into the room and had made his way to the crib. 

“Hello _Bambino_.” he had cooed, as he went closer. He leaned over the crib and smiled widely. Caleb had started to wake up, his eyes blinking as he grunted. He was lying on his front, and tried his best to crane his neck to look at his dad, but failed, and he flopped his head back onto the soft mattress in defeat. 

Tony had chuckled. He found it fun to watch the baby wake up. “Good morning.” he said and reached an arm into the crib to rub Caleb’s back. 

With another grunt, Caleb then pushed himself off his front and onto his back. Once he had seen Tony’s face, he smiled a massive, toothless grin, as he was happy to see his father. 

“Hey birthday boy.” Tony cheered, tickling Caleb’s belly softly, which had made the baby squeal, “Wanna get up?”

“Mmm.” Caleb had hummed in confirmation as he reached his hands up, his signal to get Tony to carry him. Caleb couldn't at the time, but he was a smart boy. He understood the questions the adults would pose him (”You hungry?” “Wanna go play?”) and used to respond in his own hums and grunts. Tony was sure he was going to say his first word soon. His money was on ‘Dada’.

“Up we go.” Tony said, carrying the child from the crib. Caleb then immediately latched onto him, cuddling his face into Tony’s shoulder. The only thing better than the fact that Tony had a son, was that Tony had a cuddly son. 

“Lets go Caleb,” Tony announced as he walked out of the room, “Your mother and Grandparents are waiting outside. No doubt they’ve each bought you a hundred presents” he gave the room an exasperated glance, wondering where they could fit more giant teddy’s and mini cars. He had considered getting Caleb another room, just for the gifts.  

He pushed those thoughts away, wanting to come back to it some other time. At that moment, there was a birthday to celebrate. 

 _“il mio bambino!”_ Maria exclaimed as Tony walked into the room, _“tesoro mio, buon compleanno”_ she walked away from the kitchen towards them, planting a big kiss to Caleb’s cheek. 

Emma had then cheerfully spoken up too, “Caleb!” she was lounging on the living room couch, but quickly shot up, “Gimme my baby!” she had demanded playfully, as she took Caleb from Tony.

“Muh.” Caleb said happily, as he was comfortably perched on her hip. The parents froze.

“Did he just say Ma?” Emma asked, a spark in her eye.

Maria had grinned, “I think so.”

“No, no.” Tony was in denial, “I believe he said, ‘Mlugh.”

“Oh hush.” Maria scolded, nudging her son.

Emma smirked at him, clearly thinking she had won, “Yeah Tony, hush. No need to be jealous.”

“I’m not.” Tony had defended, “I just think ‘Mleh’ isn't a word.”

Emma rolled her eyes before she focused back on Caleb, “You were going to say Mama, weren't you baby?”

Caleb just looked up at her with his big, brown eyes.

Tony leaned in over her shoulder, getting his sons attention, “Or, alternatively, you could say Dada. All the cool kids are doing it Caleb and you don't wanna be some loser whose first word is ‘Mama’, do you?”

Emma had elbowed him in retaliation, “You’re a loser.”

“Oof, great burn honey.” Tony had teased, kissing her on the cheek. With the birth of their son, Tony and Emma’s relationship also thrived. He was actually in love. Emma was a brilliant, beautiful, genuinely kind hearted person who was the worst at dealing back insults and Tony was surprised he fell for her. She was the first person he loved in a romantic way, and if things went right for a few more months, maybe he would have called her his wife. Caleb already looked like her, if he also got her personality, Tony would be a happy man. Even his parents liked her, she was kind and respectful towards them. She was also an amazing mom. Much like Tony, she loved her son to bits and has told them all, multiple times, that she would happily sacrifice them for him. 

And honestly, they would have done the same. 

Emma pouted and walked away, head held high. Caleb looked at Tony over her shoulder and waved. 

Tony waved back, smiling. Life was good for him.

~~~~~

Tony winced as Emma hurled into the toilet as he rubbed her back soothingly.

“Ugh” she groaned, flushing the tank, “This sucks.”

“I know babe.” Tony consoled, “You...you’re not pregnant again, are you?” he asked, a bit cautiously. 

“No, of course not.” she said, looking at him like he was an idiot, “It's just yesterday's food, I think it did not agree with me.”

Tony mumbled in agreement, ruffling her hair. “I’ve kept the medicine of the bedside table.”

“Mhmm. Thank you Tony.”

“You know, we can cancel the dinner plans, order in food?”

“No, no.” she had protested, standing up with his help, “It’s Caleb’s birthday, he needs to have a celebration.” she walked over to the sink and rinsed out her mouth.

“He’s one. He’s not going to remember any of this.”

“Yeah, but _i’ll_ always know.” she pouted, walked out of the room and took her medicine. Tony sighed, shaking his head, but he couldn't help a smile slip out over her logic.

He continued, “I don't know...Leaving you here while we go eat at some fancy restaurant. You need to be there too.”

“I’ll be there for his other birthdays.” she reasoned, “I want to be there, I do, but… I’m really in no condition. Plus, if it's some kind of bug, I don't want Caleb to catch it.”

“...You sure?”

“Yes,” she smiled as she pulled him in for a hug, resting her head on his chest (Tony was lucky to find a woman shorter than him) “I’m sure. This is his first birthday! We need to celebrate in style.”

“Look at you, sounding like a Stark.” Tony teased as he wrapped his arms around her.

She giggled and pulled away slightly to look up at him, “Guess you all have rubbed off on me.”

Tony smiled, leaned forward and gave her a kiss. Her lips were soft and sweet, and he should have savored it more, but their session was cut short by the sound of Howard yelling at Tony to hurry up from outside their room.

“Last chance to change your mind.” Tony had offered, but she shook her head.

“Go, have fun. Remember, no peanuts, he’s allergic.”

“Yes Ma’am.”

They left the room together to meet up with Tony’s parents. The Stark's were all dressed up to the nine, with the men in high fashioned suits (Even Caleb was dressed in a baby suit, with a bow tie and everything) and Maria in a beautiful, shimmering silver dress. 

While Emma explained to the Stark seniors why she wasn't tagging along, Tony took a second to snap a picture. It had come out surprisingly well. Caleb was on Howard's lap, and Maria was standing on the couch behind them. The three of them were looking off to the side where Emma was talking, so it looked like they were posing. It had easily become one of Tony’s favorite pictures ever. 

“Well, best we get going.” Howard then said, getting up, his grandson in his arms, “You want to say goodbye to Momma?” he asked the baby.

“Goodbye honey.” Emma cooed as she gave Caleb a big wet kiss on the cheek, “I love you.”

Tony had slid in as well, raising an eyebrow, “And for me?”

Emma chuckled before they shared another kiss

“Love you.” she said.

“Love you too.”

~~~~~

“Honey, i’m home.” Tony had called out, pretentiously, as he entered the house. His parents were slowly coming up behind him, the couple taking their time. Caleb was fast asleep, the little tyke tuckered out from all the excitement (especially when a cake was brought out and everyone started to sing for him. Caleb smiled the biggest grin and started to clap his tiny hands. Tony took a video of it and he couldn't wait to show Emma). He was drooling all over Tony’s shoulder as he slept, but the older man didn't really care.

“Emma?” he called out, raising an eyebrow at the dark hallway. Maybe she had gone to bed, Tony thought. 

He walked inside, groping around for the light switches as he reached the living room area.

He finally found it, and switched it on. 

The room was illuminated, and Tony’s eyes immediately landed on the bodies. 

Two people, their personal security, were strewn across the floor, gunshot wound on their heads, their blood pooling on the floor. 

Tony’s eyes widened, jaw dropped, as his body instinctively took a few steps back. 

“Tony?” Howard asked as he had entered the house, “What’s wrong.”

“Dad…” 

Howard and Maria turned the corner, and gasped in shock at what they were seeing. 

Tony was hyperventilating. You would think that living a life of crime would have made seeing violence easier, but it didn't. He still found it harrowing, even more so since Caleb was born. 

“Emma.” Tony said out loud, his senses getting back to him, “Oh, fuck, Emma!” he screamed. He quickly shoved Caleb into his mother's arms, the baby having woken up and was starting to fuss. “Emma!” Tony yelled again, as he ran towards their bedroom. 

He busted through the door, and found it to be empty. Still calling out his girlfriends name, he checked every inch of the room and couldn't find her. He allowed himself a small moment of hope, praying that she got away from whoever attacked the house. 

He rushed out of the room to meet up with his parents (Howard had already called their crew to come and dispose of the bodies and get started on who broke into their house) when, out of the corner of his eye, he noticed that Caleb’s bedroom door was open. And he knew he had closed it when they had left. 

Heart beating faster, Tony forced himself to move towards the room and push open the door. He found it strangely ironic that he did this exact thing in the morning, only now, he felt like he was going to vomit out his heart. 

He opened the door, the room dark and illuminated slightly by the lights coming from the hallway, and he saw

He saw chaos. Caleb’s toys were broken, the teddy bears had been torn apart, cotton fluff strewn all over the floor. His crib, was shattered to pieces, the wooden hinges broken and thrown around. And at the center of it all, was Emma.

She was on her back, her face tilted towards the front door, throat slashed. Her body laid there, her usually gorgeous brown hair, dyed a deep red as the blood seeped into the floor. 

Tony’s legs gave up on him and he collapsed onto the ground. His knees bumped the wooden floors heavily, but he did not register any pain. 

Because through all of this, one fact, one horrible, terrible fact became clear. 

It was no coincidence that Emma was killed and dumped in the destroyed room of his child. 

Caleb was the one Tony’s enemies had come for.

~~~~~

“Tony. Tony calm down.” Howard said, trying to reason with his son.

“Calm down?” Tony yelled, “My girlfriend was killed and my Son might be next, so sorry dad, I don't feel very calm right now.” The two of them were at Howard's office, with the younger one pacing back and forth. 

“You’re hyperventilating, you’re gonna pass out. At Least sit down.”

Once Tony was seated, Howard continued to talk, “There’s no easy way to say this Tony, but it's time to face facts. Caleb isn't safe here, our enemies know about him and they attacked. We need to protect him.”

“Yes, I know!” Tony snapped, still on edge, “We’re going to get the camera footage back, i’m going to improve on security and if i ever find whose behind this, I'm going to fucking kill them!”

“...That’s not the kind of protection I was talking about.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, it’s time to do the thing you should have done when your kid was born.”

 It took Tony a second to figure out what Howard had meant. 

“No.” he refused, “No, absolutely not!”

“Tony-”

“My girlfriend just got fucking killed, and you want me to send my son away?” Tony yelled as he jumped up to his feet.

“It’s what’s going to keep him safe!” Howard said, voice raised.

“No, No, he’s safe with me.”

“We thought Emma was safe with us too, but look what happened!” Howard had walked closer to him, “Tony, face the facts. We are dealing with an incredibly powerful enemy. Not only do they know Caleb exists, they knew how to bypass our security, break in and were strong enough to kill our guards. I don't know when we’re going to be able to catch them, but until we do, Caleb isn't safe here.”

A ugly silence passed over the room. Tony shook his head, his brain ran as fast as possible, to think of a way out of this mess. 

Howard continued, “...We don't know who these people are or how they found out about Caleb, but chances are, news is spreading wide and many **bad** people already know about him. The next attack can be right around the corner, and by the time we figure things out, it might be too late. Is that a risk you want to take?”

Tony opened and closed his mouth like a fish, he hated himself for understanding his father's logic but did not want to agree with it. “...You took care of me just fine.” he said, softly.

Howard sighed, he didn't enjoy this, “When you were born, things were smaller, less dangerous. We trained you to take care of yourself, when honestly, there wasn't as much trouble as there is now.”

“We can do that!” Tony reasoned, not really thinking, “We can train him.”

“...You and I are different people Tony, we’re definitely different kinds of fathers.” Howard said, somberly, “Do you really think you can put Caleb through the things you did?”

“...No.” Tony admitted, his mind flashing back to the awful, terrible things he had to live through. All the beatings and the pain. There was no way he would let Caleb be hurt. “No, but-but I’ll think of something.” he said, desperately, “Please, give me time.”

“We don't have time.” Howard said, grasping Tony by the shoulder, “Tony, I find no pleasure in this. I love that baby so much and I don’t want to send my grandson away either. But I rather he be gone than dead.”

“...I can't....do this. I can't.” Tony didn't even bother to hold it in anymore, he started to cry, and Howard (when he normally would have yelled at Tony for crying) had pulled him in for a hug. 

“I’ll take care of it.” Howard said, “I’ll take care of it all, I'll make sure he gets put in with a good family, have a good life, everything.”

Tony was sobbing. He buried himself into his father shoulders, his tears ruining the expensive suit as he gripped onto his dad for dear life. 

Howard continued, “And I'm going to have to ask you to do something for me, and you’re not going to like it, but you have to.” a pause, “You cannot be involved in his relocation, whatsoever.”

Tony pulled away, face red and streaked with tears, but confused, “What?”

“If you know the details of his new identity, you would go after the boy, I know it. And that just puts him in even more danger.”

“He’s my son.” Tony said, “I deserve to know.”

“You’re telling me that if you know where he is sent, you will never speak to him again? That you won't visit him? Won't keep track of him?” silence. “Tony, the only way he can be truly safe is if he’s completely removed from this family. We can't risk you keeping in touch with him, it might call more attention.”

Tony hated when his father was right. He knew this was his best option at keeping Caleb safe but, he knew he wouldn't be able to handle it. 

“Oh God.” he pressed the palms of his hands into his eyes, “I’m going to have to say goodbye to my Son.”

~~~~~

Turns out Caleb was going to be sent away a lot earlier than Tony had assumed. 

He thought a few months at least, until they found the right place for him.

However, it turned out that Howard had held onto the identity and families he had arranged for Caleb when he was born. In the unfortunate case that such a thing were to happen, they had something to land on. 

So Caleb wasn't going to leave in a few months.

He was leaving that very same day.

Tony knew, he understood that the sooner Caleb is out, the safer his life will be. Right after an attack, his enemies would assume that he would increase security, move to another location or take some other measures, and even if they figured out that he was going to send his child away, they wouldn't expect it to happen for a few weeks at least. They had a slight upper hand. 

So, right then, on Caleb's birthday, was the last Tony saw of his Son.

He got a minute alone with his child.

They were in Tony’s bedroom, Tony seated on the soft cushions of his bed with Caleb on his lap. Maria told him that he needed to talk to Caleb, spend some time alone. She was filled in on the plan, and she was as unhappy and devastated as he was, but she also understood:

Being a Stark meant that sacrifices were to be made.

More than once, Tony considered running away as well, he and Caleb could get new identities but...he knew it wouldn't work. While other black market companies didn't know what Caleb looked like, everyone knew who he was. Anonymity wasn't possible for Tony Stark, but it was an option for his son. And he realized that if there was a slight chance that Caleb would be taken out of this world of violence, money, greed and power, Tony should take it. 

“Hey Caleb.” Tony said, his voice quivered.

Caleb grinned up at him, he clapped his hands at the sound of his name. Thankfully, he didn't register all the terrible things that had happened. 

“Grandpa...says that you’re going to be leaving in an hour,” Tony’s eyes had started to water, “and...and he has assured me that your...new family are good, good people.”

He wiped a tear away and continued, “You are going to live a lovely...comfortable and...safe life, Caleb. Away from me.” he mumbled that last part. “And you...you’re going to be better than all of us, Caleb. I just know you’re going to grow up to be a wonderful man, living the life of peace that you deserve.” Tony’s tears fell heavily and he tried his best not to break down. Caleb had realized that his father was hurting badly, which made him whine and reach his arms out. He made grabby hands, asking for a hug. 

 Tony scooped him up and held him close, tighter than he ever hugged him before. This was the last time he was going to hold his boy. 

 “I’m going to make this world, this life, better. And who knows, maybe one day, it will be safe enough for me to find you and to be with you again.” they stayed like that for awhile. Caleb somehow knew that this was a big moment, so he stayed still. His tiny fingers kept clutching Tony's suit jacket, but he didn't fuss.

 “Oh Caleb,” Tony cried as he treasured the feeling, “My _Bambino_ , you’re not going to remember any of this, but I need you to know, I love you, so, so much, more than anything in this world.” he kissed Caleb’s little head.

A knock on the door was followed by Howard slowly entering the room. 

“Tony,” he said sadly. His eyes were puffed and his eyes were rimmed with red. This loss was a huge hit for everyone, “It’s time.”

 A final kiss to his head, Tony reluctantly handed his boy over. Howard was going to be the only person who knew what Caleb’s new life and identity was going to be. He never told Tony or Maria, no matter how much they begged and pleaded. He loved his grandson, and he just wanted him safe. He also loved his son, and did not want to burden him with such a painful task. 

“Say goodbye to daddy, Caleb.” Howard said, as he was about to walk out of the room. 

Caleb looked at Tony over Howard's shoulder, smiled and said: “Dada.”

Tony smiled back painfully, the final piece of his heart shattering as he heard his son say his first word. 

Howard paused for a second, a bit shocked, waiting to see if Tony was going to do anything, but he saw that the man was too distraught to even so much as move.

So he left, baby in arms who kept babbling ‘dada’ over and over again.

And that was the last Tony saw of his son. 

Tired, defeated, Tony’s legs gave up on him and he sank to the floor. He let out a guttural, painful cry as he violently sobbed in his broken home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Are you crying? I'm crying. I've never gotten so emotional over something I've written. I hope I did it justice and you lovely readers liked it (I would say I hoped you cried but that just makes me sound like a sociopath. Or at the very least, mean.)  
> The next chapter will be a lot more light hearted, so I hope you stick around.  
> Thanks for reading!


	3. Chapter 3

“Ah, fuck.” the man cursed as he tripped over another crack on the ground. He clutched his duffel bag tighter towards him. He knew the thing was slowing him down, but he had come too far to give up now. Robbing a bank wasn't easy. All he had to do, was outrun the damn pest that was chasing him, meet up with his buddies, and they’d be rich. 

But he knew, deep down, he wasn't going to make it. 

He heard the sounds of those propellers revving up, the noise closer to him. With a final, desperate attempt, he dashed into an alleyway between two buildings, dodging and jumping across debris and items swiftly. He hoped that the clunky metal armor would be too big that it wouldn't be able to follow him.

No such luck.

As soon as he rounded the corner, he smashed into something metal. 

He cursed, his face ringing with pain, as he looked into the metal eyes of Iron Man.

The armor slowly descended onto the ground, his propeller boots shutting off. “Ok, so how about you hand over that bag there before someone gets hurt.” Iron man spoke, his voice sounding hollow.

The thief’s knuckles was turning an unusual shade of white at how tightly he was clutching the bag. He didn't want to give it up, but he had heard about the stories of those who tried to fight back against Iron man. 

As a last ditch effort, he swiftly pulled out his gun and shot at the armor

Only to have it uselessly ricochet off of it. 

“Wrong choice.” Iron man said, and faster than he could register what was happening, the armor swooped forward, its gauntlet clenched. Pulling back, Iron man punched him square in the stomach with enough force to toss the man in the air and up against the wall. He grunted in pain as his back smashed into the brick with force, the wind getting knocked out of his lungs. His bad luck just got worse, as his body fell through the air and into the dumpster below him. 

Clapping his hands together, Iron man picked up the bag that was dropped. He opened it up and made an approving hum as he saw all the bills that was stacked up. He had planned on asking the thief where his buddies were meeting up, but no doubt the guy was unconscious or even possibly dead.

“Jarvis” Iron man called out.

 _“Yes Sir?”_ his A.I. replied.

“Send my location out to one of my crew,” he instructed, “get them to pick this up and dump it somewhere.”

_“Anywhere specific, Sir?”_

“Nah. Any orphanage or hospital will do.”

_“Understood. There’s someone on their way now.”_

“Great. Get me the location of the rest of the burglars.”

Jarvis took a second, his calculations passing through the screen inside Iron man’s helmet before he pinpointed on a location. _“CCTV show that three other men were involved with this crime, and they’re all meeting up in another two minutes.”_

“Guess I better not be late for the party.”

His rocket boots lit up, and Iron Man flew away, making his way towards the location. He left the bag behind, confident that his crew would find it and donate it somewhere. Anyone who might come across it knew better than to take the bag. It was a telltale sign that Iron Man had been there, and nobody wanted to piss him off.

However, unknown to Iron Man, soon after he had left, someone else arrived at the scene.

~~~~~

It had been fifteen years since the tragedy Tony suffered through, and his life was completely different now. 

For one, he was no longer a mob boss. Stark industries had completely changed over the years. He got sick and tired of building and manufacturing weapons for disgusting people who have no problem or remorse over killing innocent people. He used his talents elsewhere, towards sustainable energy and security. Granted, his clients weren't too happy about that and more than once, tried to kill him, but they failed. Tony, in retaliation, would kill anyone who wouldn't leave him alone. Which is where his Iron Man armor came into play. When there were numerous hits out for Tony’s life, he invented the armor. A defense suit built in with technology that no one but him can understand and replicate. Once his enemies were out of the picture, he decided that the suit was too good to bench, so he started going out into the world and spread his havoc. He didn't hurt anyone, at least, not anyone innocent. He would usually bust drug dealers and interrogate underground mafia clubs to get rid of the more...dangerous gangs and the such. He didn't work with the police, god no. He was above them, enforcing his own law. 

You could say he was bored. Running Stark industries is fun and all but...well, ever since his parents died, he had nothing to do besides run his company, and eventually, he got tired of it. The old Tony would have hooked up, enjoyed his freedom while it lasted, but the old Tony died fifteen years ago. He completely closed himself off from the outside world as well as towards other people. Aside from remnants of other gangs, there were probably a handful of people who even know what he looked like. 

Because as he was building up his business, he managed to do something he thought was impossible. Become anonymous. 

If you get rid of everyone that knows who you are, word tends to spread a lot slower. So, to the general public, Tony Stark, CEO of Stark enterprise is a shut in genius and not a single person, knows what he looks like. He could even be walking among you.

Which turned out to be even better, as that means, no one suspects him of being Iron Man. There would be no proof! Of course, there was speculation, only Stark tech could be so advanced, people said, but the Industry denied such claims, and no one is around to disprove of it (which is honestly the only reason Tony wasn't in jail) (well, that and his bank account). 

It was a good system, a safe one. One where he can act freely without consequences. One where he has a tremendous amount of power, both as Tony Stark and as Iron Man. 

He thought of all this as he flew towards the gangs meetup. He was bored and Jarvis informed him that the theft was happening nearby, so he decided to intervene. And he was glad he did. This group of people stole a lot of money, money that he would hand over to people who actually needed it to survive, rather than use it for weapons and drugs like these lovely gentleman were planning to do. 

Tony touched down on the location, a bit early. It was an abandoned hotel, dingy looking and old. They were probably going to be meeting here before they ran away together. Wanting to get the jump on them (because no matter how much he’s changed, Tony was still a diva at heart) he entered the building and sat on the reception’s desk, with a clear view of the outside. As he waited, he received a call. 

 _“Hello, Mr.Stark Sir?”_ the voice asked as Tony answered it. He recognized it as one of his henchmen. 

“Don’t you have orders to not disturb me while I'm working?”

_“Yes, and I apologize Sir, but I arrived at the location to pick up the bag and it's missing.”_

“Missing?”

_“Yes Sir. Not only that...there’s an ambulance here? They’re taking away this guy found in a dumpster. Police have identified him as one of the robbers.”_

“Wait...They knew where to find him?” to find the guy in that exact alleyway inside one of the dumpsters...was too specific. 

_“Yes Sir. They arrived just minutes before I did and…”_

“Hello?”

_“Sir, the bag has been found. I heard one of the policemen talking on their phones...seems like someone dropped it off at their station.”_

“So, someone got to the scene, called the ambulance and dropped the money off to the police?” Tony repeated, trying to understand. 

_“Seems like it. It is possible that someone was tailing you. With all due respect Sir, were you ever in the situation without your mask on?”_

“No, mask was always on, no one would have seen my face.” he gave a command, “Look into the call to the ambulance, see if you can trace a number. I want to know who this good Samaritan is.”

 _“Yes Sir.”_ he hung up the phone.

Tony furrowed his brow. He was a bit...unsettled by this new information. He didn't like the idea that someone could have followed him, but how would that be possible? He was literally flying, no one could have caught up to him on foot. And if they used a vehicle, he or Jarvis would have noticed. And it couldn't have been someone who just happened across that street, it was just as abandoned as this building. 

Speaking of which, Tony could hear footsteps and yelling from outside. 

Putting those thoughts away for now, he made his way to the entrance of the building. 

Sure enough, the other men had gathered up. He was making a fair bit of noise, but the men were so caught up in their success that they failed to notice him. 

Finally, one of them realized that they were one member short. “Hey,” he asked, “Where’s Sam?”

That was Tony’s cue: “Oh, yeah. Sam couldn't make it.”

Immediately, they all drew their guns and pointed it at Iron Man who was casually leaning against the door frame. 

“Oh Gentlemen please, I know you’re all very excited to see me-”

A shower of bullets descended on him, but as always, it did nothing. They kept firing until their guns were empty. 

“Well, that was fun.” Tony said, dryly, “Now unless you want to get hurt, hand over the bags.”

“Never.” one of them said, with a thick accent, “We need to feed our families.”

“Oh bullshit.” Tony cursed, “I know all your identities and track records, you just want it for drugs and hookers.” he moved away from the door and made his way towards them, “Now, we can do this the easy way, or the hard way.”

One of them suddenly bolted, clutching his bag. Tony revved up his gauntlet and shot him square in the back. The man fell with a cry, unconscious. 

 “Anybody else?” He asked, eyeing the other men. They shook their heads, scared. 

“Great. Glad we came to an agreement. Now hand over the bags.” 

They became pretty compliant after that. They dropped the money by his feet, one of them even got the bag of his unconscious friend. 

“Listen, can we…” one of them said, a bit hesitant, “Can we at least keep one bag? I have a debt to repay.”

“Well, that sounds like your problem, not the people who’s money you’ve stolen.”

The other one spoke, his voice softer, “Are you going to turn us in?”

Tony paused for a second, “No. I couldn't care less. Skedaddle”

One of them nodded and ran, picking up his unconscious friend. But the other one, surprisingly, stood his ground. 

“...I need that money.” he said, his resolve unshaken, “I need to repay my debt, they threatened to kill my family.”

“Looks like you shouldn't have been dumb enough to fall into debt like that.”

“Huh.” the man scoffed, his anger getting the better of him, “Easy for you to say. Maybe someone should kill _your_ family, see how you like it!” he yelled, punctuating the point by poking Tony’s armor on the chest. 

Tony saw red. Before he realized it, his metal hand wrapped around the man's throat and lifted him off the ground, choking him. He struggled, legs kicking back and forth as his air was violently cut off. Tony let out a long sigh, rage overtaking him. He gripped the man’s throat tighter, watching as his skin started to turn a pale shade of blue. In the background, he heard some scuffle, but nobody was going to attack him, not now. Doing so was asking for a death wish.

So he was more than a bit surprised when somebody attacked him. 

A huge amount of force suddenly barreled into his side, knocking Tony off his feet. The wind got knocked out of him, the hit strong enough to send him flying, his armored body bouncing off the concrete ground as he painfully ground to a halt. The attack caught him off guard enough to let go of the guy he was choking. 

“What the fuck?” Tony cursed as he got up onto his feet. His boots came to life as he crossed the ground he was thrown across to stop in front of the person who pushed him.  

It was ...someone he had never seen before. 

It was some goofy looking guy. He wore blue pants with the same colored long sleeved shirt, a red hoodie over it with ridiculous looking red boots and...was that a mask? And goggles?

“Who the fuck are you?” Tony cursed out.

“Whoa, you kiss your mother with that mouth?” a surprisingly high pitched voice called out, but he wasn't looking at Tony. He was crouched on the ground besides the man he was strangling, checking his pulse and his breathing. 

Tony didn't like being ignored. 

He marched forward and grabbed a fist full of that red hoodie, pulling the guy up.

Just as quickly, Tony’s gauntlet was being twisted with a surprising amount of strength. Tony grunted as his arm was yanked, before the guy’s flat palm was slapped against his chest plate, pushing him back with enough strength that the armors boots dug out the gravel beneath as a way of resisting. 

“You know, chasing a bunch of people down the street and beating them up isn't really your style, Iron Man.” the stranger said, switching to a battle stance, “Thought you had more class than that.”

“You know who I am but you still want to pick a fight? Thought anyone would have more common sense than that.”

“I- I...OK that was a good one.” the other man retorted pathetically, clearly flustered. 

“Listen Pal,” Tony said, “I don’t like people meddling in my business, so I'm going to give you the chance to walk away.”

“Not going to happen.”

Tony’s gauntlet was revved up and he shot him straight in the chest, sending him flying. He landed heavily on the asphalt a few feet away. 

With a sigh, Tony made his way towards the guy he was choking, who was still on the ground. With no remorse, he placed his heavy booted leg on his chest, crushing down. He was still annoyed and the arrival of the new guy just got him more irritated. 

Suddenly, he heard a thump and the next second, he was in the air, being flung to the other side of the ground. He crashed onto the concrete, grunting in pain as his head was knocked around in the helmet. Once he came to a halt, he looked down and saw that something was stuck to his armor. Lifting it up, he saw that it was...string?

He followed the white string like material, and saw that the red and blue guy was holding the other end. _'How the hell is he conscious?’_ Tony thought, shocked. The blast from his gauntlet was powerful enough to incapacitate an elephant, and weak enough to knock someone out. No one normal could just brush it off and keep fighting. 

He couldn't keep dwelling on it however, as the string was being tugged on again and with an incredible amount of strength, the new guy started to swing Tony around. His armor was swung twice in a circle, before the string was let go and Tony was thrown away. He was flung with so much force, that Tony crashed into one of the rooms in the abandoned building...through a wall. 

He cried out in pain from the impact. Luckily, the armor was strong enough to handle it and keep Tony safe, but he did obtain a few bruises and a pretty substantial head injury, which is more injuries than he cared to handle. 

Now, he was angry. 

“Jarvis, who is that bastard?” Tony asked, as he quickly brushed rubble off of the armor, getting back up on his feet. 

 _“I believe he is called ‘Spider-Man’, Sir”_  , Jarvis replied, _“A local superhero of sorts.”_

 **“Superhero?”** Tony mocked, “What a load of shit. Do you know his real identity?”

_“That’s a negative, Sir. He’s never seen with his mask off.”_

“Guess I'll have to fix that. Jarvis, full throttle”

Tony’s boots flared to life once more and he blasted towards Spider-man at high speed. He wasn't trying to be sneaky, he was going for the kill. For a split second, he saw Spider-man helping the remaining thief carry both his unconscious partners to safety before he realized that Iron Man was fast approaching. He quickly pushed the men away from harm before Iron Man tackled into him. Tony heard him yell in pain from the impact before he changed his trajectory and shot straight into the sky. He flew upwards, covering feet of distance in a few seconds with Spider-man in his arms. He felt the guy kick and punch, but with the amount of air pressure on him, there was nothing he could do. Tony felt some small amount of sadistic glee, as he could feel how scared Spider-man was becoming the higher Tony flew up.

Finally, Tony stopped. His boots released enough power to keep him up, but to stop moving anymore. By his estimate, they were a couple of hundred feet off the ground. 

He felt Spider-man try to claw at his armor so he could hold on tighter, but Tony pulled him away before he could form a dent in the metal. With one hand, he grabbed him by the collar of his red hoodie and held him out, away from his body. Tony heard him scream in terror, his hands holding onto the Iron Man Gauntlet tightly. All Tony had to do was let go, and Spider-man would plummet to his death. 

“Let’s see here.” Tony mumbled, his other hand coming up to pull of the mask.

He was met with a youthful face. He had curly brown hair (that was being blown in multiple directions) doe brown eyes (which were now wide with fear) and a few freckles over his pale skin. A pretty normal looking guy. 

Tony threw away the mask before he grabbed his wrist. Sure enough, there was some contraption on it that probably shot out that weird white stuff. Tony ripped it off both his hands, ignoring the guys kicks and protests. He wanted to study what that stuff was made of. 

“Not that this wasn't fun, but playtime's over.” Iron Man announced, “let’s make an example out of you.” and with that, Tony let go and threw Spider-man away. 

He fell, screaming and Tony watched. It wasn't the first time someone died this way by his hands.   

“So, who was he Jarvis?” he asked, as he watched Spider man's body became smaller with distance. 

_“That was Peter Parker, Sir. A high-school boy from Queens.”_

“Wait...high school?”

_“Yes Sir. He’s fifteen.”_

“...Oh fuck.”

Tony quickly flew down after him.

~~~~~

Tony watched as Peter scrambled away from him, towards the corner of the building’s roof that he was deposited on. He grasped tightly onto the small railings and proceeded to throw up. Tony grimaced, looking away. 

He heard Peter groan once he was done. He made the mistake of looking over the building side into the traffic below and let out a yell before pushing himself away from it and closer to where Tony was standing, around the center of the roof. 

He lied down on his stomach, his forehead touching the ground, “Oh, sweet land.” he groaned out and Tony almost laughed. 

“...Go home, kid. Sleep off the nausea. Air sickness at that speed, I know it’s not fun.”

“Yeah, no fucking shit.”

“Oof, watch your language. Aren’t you like, five?”

“I’m eighteen, so fuck you.”

“That’s a blatant lie, right Jarvis?” Tony asked. Jarvis started to speak, his voice audible to Peter as well: _“Peter Parker. Fifteen years old.”_ A hologram lit up from Tony’s wrist, showcasing a picture of the kid as well as his information, _“Current residence: Queens. Birthday is on August 10th”_

Peter got up on his feet, a bit shocked and in awe over the A.I.

  _“Parents: Mary and Richard Parker. Both deceased. Current guardian: May Parker. Her husband, Benjamin Parker is also deceased.”_

That seemed to snap Peter out of his trance. “Hey!” he snapped, slapping Tony’s hand away to get rid of the hologram.

“Tough life.” Tony said, a bit sympathetic. “So what’s a kid like you doing going around in your pajamas and fighting bad guys?”

“None of your business.”

“I was just asking out of politeness, I can just find out on my own.” 

“Right, because you care so much about manners. You didn't seem to care when you dropped me out of the fucking sky!” Peter snapped. He took a deep breath before he continued, “Why did you save me, anyway?”

Tony paused for a second before he replied: “I don’t hurt children. I only found out about that once I threw you off.”

Peter didn't really seem to know what to say to that, so Tony continued: “I also don’t like people meddling in my business. So how did you find me?”

“...I was around when the bank was stolen. I saw you chasing that guy down the street, so I followed.”

“You called the ambulance and the police, didn't you?”

Peter nodded. A bit of the color had come back to his skin, he was a lot more pink than Tony had imagined. 

“Well, thanks to you, the other three criminals have run free.”

“Out of which two of them were beaten and/or unconscious and the fourth one was sent to the hospital, you can't guilt trip me here.”

Tony raised an eyebrow, impressed at the kids spunk. “I’m starting to like you Parker, so I'm going to let you off with a warning.”

“...You already told me you won’t hurt me, I'm not scared of you.” It was clear he was lying. Even if Jarvis wasn't monitoring Peter’s elevated heart rate, the look on the kids face was easy to read. He wasn't a very good liar. 

But it was slightly true. Take away the danger and he would feel a bit more courageous. 

Iron Man wasn't as threatening anymore, but maybe Tony Stark would be. 

The building was tall enough that no one would be able to see him, and Jarvis did mention that the roof had no cameras. 

So Tony stepped out of his armor and stared down at Peter. He wasn't the tallest person, just a few centimeters over the Parker kid, but what he lacked in height, he got in his intimidating presence. You wouldn't be a successful businessman if people weren't afraid of you 

And true to point, Peter was a bit frightened when he saw the expression of the man behind the mask. He stepped away a few steps as Tony got out from the armor. 

“You listen to me, very carefully, Parker.” Tony said, his voice deep, “I won’t physically hurt you, but i’m not above hurting those close to you.” Color left Peter’s face, “If I ever, **ever** , see you again, there will be problems, understand?”

Peter nodded nervously.

“Good, glad we got that cleared up.” Tony entered the armor again and without saying anything more, he flew away. 

A few minutes passed as he flew towards his house Jarvis spoke up: _“That was a very risky game you played there, Sir.”_ he said, almost sounding like he was chastising Tony, _“That boy has incredible strength, if he attacked you when you were out of the armor-”_

“Are you kidding?” Tony interrupted, “He’s the kind of kid who called an ambulance for criminals, he wouldn't hurt anyone.” Although, granted, that was just a hunch Tony had and he was grateful he wasn't wrong. No doubt, Parker had some interesting abilities along with incredible power. If he was anybody else, if he had any sort of fueling hatred for people like Tony did...well, chances are Tony would be dead. 

 _He’s a good kid,_ Tony thought, _the world needs more of that._


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, there is some technological mumbo jumbo in this chapter and I made shit up so it makes no sense, but just go with it pls.

Peter woke up the next day an hour earlier than he usually does, his body covered in bruises and aches. He groaned as he pushed himself up and off the bed, a headache making itself apparent. He trudged out of his room and into the kitchen, desperate for some water. He crossed by the fridge and saw that Aunt May had left him a note attached to one of the fridge magnets. 

_ Hey Petey, _

_           I need to fill in for another shift today, so I'll see you at dinner. There’s breakfast on the table, just heat it up, and fifty dollars as well to buy yourself some lunch. Please buy healthy food and not just pizza's and soft drinks. Love you! _

Peter smiled as he read the note before dumping it into the dustbin. He limped over to the kitchen table and ate his breakfast leisurely as he scrolled through his phone. There were a few emails, some very excited texts from the group chat but overall, nothing of too much importance.    
He put the phone down and picked up the permission slip that was left on the table, happy to see that May had finally signed it for him:

_ This is to show that I,  _ _ May Parker _ _ , have given permission for my ward,  _ _ Peter Parker _ _ , to go on the school trip to visit Stark Industries. Attached to this slip is the NDA that has also been signed and approved of, according to which, I will not disclose any information about Stark Industries or of Tony Stark, in the instance that my ward could possibly end up sharing sensitive information with me. If such disclosure were to happen, I fully accept that a lawsuit may be filed against me.  _

_ Signed: _

_ May Parker _

Peter grinned widely, unable to keep his excitement down. Despite the shit storm that happened yesterday, he was genuinely excited for the trip tomorrow. A visit to Stark Industries was a one in a blue moon event, probably even rarer. It was no secret that nobody knew the identity of the infamous Tony Stark, so to be one of the few people in the world who might get to see him, was amazing. Sure, the very expensive NDA and guarantee of being sued if they were to expose anything about Stark was daunting and terrifying, but it was easy to avoid. Just don’t say anything and things would be fine! And it wasn't only the prospect of possibly (it wasn't confirmed that he would be there) meeting Tony Stark that excited him, it was just the idea that he could see the place where all the magic happened, all the tech and all the science!

Peter was hoping, and he knew it wouldn't happen so he wasn't being too optimistic, that if they get a chance to meet Mr.Stark, that he would love his opinion on how to make his web shooters stronger, more improved and how to make possible changes to his ‘suit’. 

He had gotten...destroyed last night. Iron Man totally won that fight, and Peter couldn't help but wonder how he could have won if things played out differently. All his thinking eventually led him to the obvious point, that his tech was lacking. Sure, strength and talent were important, but he wasn't one of those people who felt like they need to not rely on technology at all. Besides, his most basic trademark was the swinging webs, and those were something he created.

...and something he would have to create again. He groaned in frustration as he remembered that Iron Man basically stole it from him. 

He was still a bit disappointed in himself that he let the guy get away. He had a once in a lifetime opportunity to take down Iron Man, but he wasn't going to hurt the guy when he was out of his suit. He knew that one punch could possibly kill a man, so he wasn't risking it. Besides, Peter had enough self awareness enough to know that he was way out of his depth against Iron Man. He needed to become better, stronger, if he ever wanted to be on that guys level. 

But he wasn't starting today. Today was a Sunday and he was going to rest for the big day tomorrow. With his advanced healing, all his aches and bruises would be gone by the evening time and he’d be right as rain for the Stark Industries tour.

~~~~~

“Welcome to Stark Industries.” a lady greeted them with a big smile, “My names Meredith, and i’ll be helping you along today. Follow me.” with that, she turned on her heels and walked into the building. The class followed her, excited. Once they reached the front doors, she proceeded to type in her pass-code, scan her fingerprint as well as scan her ID card. A click was heard before the doors opened wide. 

“Now, as you all know, we take a great deal to maintain the privacy of out company and the CEO, so to ensure that, a security check will take place.” a few mumbles broke out among them, so she consoled, “It’s very similar to security checks in airports, nothing to be worried about.” 

They walked a few steps before she stopped in front of a scanner, beyond which was the entrance hall to the building. Meredith was handed a plastic tray from another worker, and she directed it towards the students. “First, please place all electronic devices into the tray. We will return it to you once the tour is over.”

There were a few quiet protests, but everyone complied. 

“Next, please go through the scanner, one by one.”

They all quickly formed a line, albeit with a few shoves and pushes, before they walked through the scanner. It was Stark Tech, so no doubt it was powerful, Peter thought as he finally walked through it without any commotion. All that was in his beg were a few books and money after all. However, once Flash walked through it, there was a sharp beeping sound and the green lights on the scanner turned red. Meredith immediately walked up, a serious look on her face. 

Flash looked a bit flustered as he said, “I-I don't have anything on me! I kept my phone away.”

“Then there must be another camera with you.”

“There isn't! Here, you can check my bag yourself.” Flash pulled the item off his back and handed it over to Meredith. She swiped the bag through the machine and it didn't beep. She looked over at flash, eyebrows raised. 

“Thing must be broken.” Flash said.

“Are you doubting Stark Technology?”

Flash grimaced, flustered, “N-No I wasn't-”

“The button on your shirt looks a bit off, young man.” a new voice suddenly spoke up. The class looked towards the new person, and all of them gasped.

A beautiful woman sauntered towards them. She was tall, made even more so by the giant heels she was wearing. Her ginger hair was tied back in a tight, neat ponytail which completed the ‘strict business-woman’ look she had going on, what with the pencil skirt and crisp ironed out shirt.

She made her way up to Flash and poked the third button on his shirt. “I know hidden camera’s when I see one. How about you take that off, unless you want to be kicked out?”

Defeated and humiliated Flash ripped out the tiny compact camera from his button. Peter was impressed, he hadn't even noticed anything out of the ordinary.

“...Dammit.” Flash mumbled, “I was told it couldn't be detected.”

The lady held up the device and smiled, “Yes, well, Oscorp's products are never as good as they claim it to be.” she stuck the class with a devilish smile, “We take these sort of things very seriously, so I will let you off with a warning. But if we ever, find another attempt to record anything within this building, we will not hesitate to throw the whole class out. Not to mention the NDA’s you’ve all signed.”

The class nodded, everyone fixing Flash with a glare for giving the people a bad impression of them as their teachers gave the woman a personal apology.

Finally, she addressed them all, “So, welcome to Stark Industries everybody. My name is Pepper Potts and I sort of run the place. True, Tony Stark is the head but I'm the one who gets stuff done. He’ll try to tell you otherwise but don't believe him.”

Ned, Peter’s best friend, raised his hand in excitement, “Are-Are we going to be meeting Tony Stark?”

Pepper smiled and nodded, which made the whole class erupt with excited chatter. 

Peter himself was excited, a huge grin on his face as he and Ned looked at each other with happy expressions. Ned, much like himself, was a giant electronics nerd so the fact that, not only were they at Stark Industries but could get to meet the man himself, it was beyond magical. 

Pepper was really lovely, showing them across the building. They crossed meeting halls and rooms dedicated for tech design, people building things, creating things. It was amazing. They were allowed to look over at the plans and blueprints the company had going on. Most of the students couldn't understand a thing, but Peter could. He frowned as he looked over a particular project idea.

  An hour had passed with Pepper explaining the things they do at the industries, before she led them to the cafeteria for a small break. Fifteen minutes went by with the students geeking out with each other about what they had seen before Pepper made an announcement.

“Alright kids, we’re going to visit the big guns, Tony Stark’s personal lab. There’s also a special someone waiting for you.”

Cheers broke out through the group, out of which Peter and Ned were probably the loudest, before they quickly packed up and made their way to the lab. They had to climb up a few floors until they reached the room where the lab was. It was a lot more heavily guarded than any of the previous floors, taking Pepper around five minutes of security clearance before the doors finally opened and they were ushered inside.  

The class walked in and gasped loudly. Peter was one of the last people to enter the room, and when he saw what everyone was seeing, he felt his blood run cold.

Tony Stark stood at the center of the lab, dressed in a crisp suit. His hair was perfectly styled and he had a fashionable beard that looked like no one else in the world could pull off. He also sported a cool looking pair of glasses.

He was dressed completely different from when Peter last saw him, but there was no way he would forget that face.

Tony Stark was Iron Man

And he had threatened Peter’s life if he ever saw him again. 

His heart rate and breathing increased and Peter quickly pulled the hoodie over his head and slowly started to back away. 

“Peter?” Ned asked, a bit concerned. He noticed his friends unusually pale skin and expression and got concerned, “You OK?”

“Yeah, yeah, I'm fine.” Peter whispered, trying to hunch his shoulders and make himself smaller, “Actually, no scratch that, I'm feeling a bit sick, I’m just gonna rush to the bathroom.”

 “Oh shit, want me to come with you?”

“No, no don't, i-”

Pepper Potts spoke up, “You two, in the back. Once in a lifetime opportunity here, would expect you to be quiet.” 

Ned was flustered, “Y-Yes ma’am, sorry ma'am.”

 Tony Stark finally spoke up, “Come on Miss Potts, they’re kids, cut them some slack.” and he did the worst possible thing, which was look right at the two.

And he and Peter made direct eye contact. 

He saw Stark's eyes widened in realization and that was Peter’s que to bolt out of the room.

~~~~~

Tony didn't think anything of it when he accepted Midtown High’s request for them to visit Stark industries two weeks ago. He didn't want to, but they needed publicity, good publicity, and nothing said good more that entertaining a bunch of teenagers for an evening while gaining nothing in return. 

 He had completely forgotten about it until the morning they were to arrive, when Pepper called in to remind him. 

_ “And I expect you to be there, Tony.” _

“What, why?” Tony groaned as he brewed himself a morning cup of coffee, “It’s a big enough deal that they’re getting a tour, why do they need to see me too? Need I remind you of my quest for anonymity?”

_ “You don't even have to talk to them. Just come in, say hello, make up some spiel about having a meeting then walk out. They’ve all signed NDA’s so even if they tell people what you look like, we can sue them.” _

“Ugh, fine.”

He spent the rest of the morning in the lab, examining the tech he got a hold of yesterday, Spider-man's web shooters. It was very impressive, the tensile strength being something he had never seen before, especially in a material that had similar components of a web. He had to hand it to the Parker kid, he was sticking to a theme. 

It was too simple though. All it did was spit out the web in a single stream. He could get very creative with it. 

He spent hours in the lab, stuck in a creative fever as he played around with the tech before Jarvis had to remind him to shower and get ready to see the kids. 

Tony groaned in annoyance as he trudged his way to his room, “What school is this again?”

“Midtown high, Sir.”

...Sounds familiar, Tony thought, but he didn't dwell on it. Probably not important. 

Even when he finally made it to the industry, his mind was still on the web shooters and thinking of ways to make it better. He didn't know what he was going to use it for, if he was ever going to use it, but it was fun and something new he had never worked with before. 

So he was more than a bit surprised when he saw Spider-Man again, in his building. 

Although technically it was Peter Parker. He spotted the kid for a second before he ran out of the room. According to his friend, he wasn't feeling very well, but Tony knew that was bullshit. 

He quickly said an introduction and as Pepper said, he made up an excuse about a meeting and quickly left, wanting to catch Parker. The fact that he met him two nights ago and then have him here was too much of a coincidence. Besides, even if it wasn't planned, he was now the one person (that wasn't on his payroll) that knew he was Iron Man, and he needed to do something about that.

~~~~~

 Peter stumbled out of the room quickly, running across the hall. He didn't know where exactly he was going so long as he was getting away. Eventually he would find the front door and run away, no one would any be the wiser. He’d just text Ned to tell the teacher that he needed to go home. 

Unfortunately, his plans were immediately foiled. 

He turned a corner and bumped into something soft and sturdy. He looked up and saw that it was none other than Tony Stark, leveling him with a glare. 

“If I remember correctly, I warned you that I would ruin your life if I ever saw your face again.”

“I-I-”

“And here you are, two days later. Tell me, what are you planning on doing with this information?”

“Info-what? I-”

“Let’s not beat around the bush here, you know I'm Iron Man. So, what are you going to do with that?”

Peter was flabbergasted, his brain still catching up, “Do with- No, nothing! No one would believe me anyway.”

“True. So why are you here?”

“...Because you approved my class to come visit?”

Tony chuckled mockingly, “And you expect me to believe that you’re a legitimate student of midtown? And you happen to be here two days after you saw my face? Tell me now who you’re working for before I have to hurt you.”

“What, Why!” Peter snapped, a bit frustrated, “Why does everything go back to violence with you? Can't you just ask like a normal person?” Stark raised an eyebrow in response, which made Peter remember that he was, in fact, yelling at Tony Stark himself. He took it down a few notches, embarrassed, “Sorry, Mr.Stark I- Just check your little,” Peter waggled his finger, pointing at Stark’s wrist, “Spying machine thing. It will tell you I've been in Midtown for years now, and unless an enemy of yours can see far into the future, I’m not a student here just to one day attack you or something.”

Stark seemed to mull this over a bit before he said: “OK then. But I've got my eye on you Parker.” with that, he sauntered away, not looking back. 

Peter was a bit annoyed at all the accusation so he mumbled under his breath “Keep an eye on your inventions first.”

“I’m sorry, what was that?” 

So apparently Stark heard him. If Peter’s spider was only radioactive enough to make him go invisible. But no, he was stuck with stupid super strength that cant get him out of awkward situations. 

Stark had walked back to him, an intimidating aura surrounding him as he stared down Peter.

“N-Nothing, I just-”

“You have something to say about my inventions?”

Peter gulped, before he slowly said, “Well, the uh...the design for the wheelchair if- if you change the cogs to a smaller size but more numbers and if you change the base metal to an Iron rather than steel it makes it a smoother, more durable chair.”

Stark raised his eyebrows, a bit taken aback. 

“And also if you change the type of batteries to C level, it reduces the speed but it would run a lot longer, which is probably more important.” the continued silence made him even more anxious, “Not that your inventions need fixing or anything, your products are always amazing.”

Stark let out a breath, “Yeah, you’re right.”

“About the changes?”

“No, about my products being amazing. Those were months old blueprints, we already fixed the efficiency and the wheelchairs are out. But good observations there, Parker.”

Peter felt himself blush. Sure, he knew Tony Stark was villain Iron Man but he still took the compliment to heart. 

Stark looked him over for a second before nodding like he arrived at some conclusion.

“...You’re going to be my intern.”

“Excuse me, what?” 

But Stark didn't grace him with an answer, he simply continued, “It’s going to need some explaining on my part, I never take interns, but we can make an exception.”

“I’m sorry, I must have heard you wrong.” Peter said, “Because I think you said you’re making me your intern, which is ridiculous.”

Stark smirked, “I don't trust you, Parker. And the best way to keep tabs on you is to have you close-by. Besides, you seem to have an eye for electronics, so I'm sure it won't be a waste.”

“You’re judging that based of my comments on wheelchairs?”

“That and the web shooters.” Stark said, “Impressive stuff. You manufactured that?”

“...Yeah.”

“Great, so I'm not wasting my time with you. I’ll be expecting you to report here tomorrow.”

“Wait, wait, stop.” Peter said before Stark could leave, “I never said yes.”

Stark looked at him like he said something outrageous, “Why on Earth would you say no?”

Now it was Peter’s turn to raise his eyebrows, “Because you’re Iron Man? A wanted criminal? I’m not going to work for you!”

Stark rolled his eyes, “I haven't done anything that terrible.”

“...You threw me from hundreds of feet in the air.”

“Yeah, not my finest moment. But seriously, criminal is too strong of a word for what I do. I prefer what’s that term you nerds use, the uhh...chaotic neutral!”

“And that’s supposed to make everything OK?”

“Look, go home, do your research and make up your mind about being completely moral and not accepting the opportunity of a lifetime to work in Stark Industries and learn things that you can never anywhere else, OK?”

“I...I can't just-”

“Ugh,” Stark groaned, “What? What other reason do you have?”

“I...I need to go to school.” Peter stammered out, pathetically. 

Stark was silent for as second before he said: “I’m going to pretend you didn't say that.” with that, he walked away but not before saying, “Tomorrow. Same time. Don’t be late.”

~~~~~


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look at me updating with a new chapter super quickly. Validate my efforts pls. I love it when I get a rush of creative adrenaline and I write up new stuff instead of taking weeks together.   
> Also thank you everybody for such a positive feedback from last chapter, it made my day. I don't reply to many of the comments but I am reading every single one of them, i love them all. Comments and Kudos are appreciated!

 

He was late. 

Then again, he was still in the middle of class, he wasn't going to skip school just to work at Stark Industries. (Yesterday, their class got permission to miss school day and when he got ordered, sorry, offered an internship, it was twelve in the afternoon.)

Which now that he thinks about it, sounds incredibly stupid. 

Anyone else in the world would jump on the opportunity to ditch school and become Stark’s intern, but not him. 

Why? Well, he wasn't really sure himself. 

So he made a list, a pro’s and con’s: 

Pro:

- _ Opportunity of a lifetime _

_ -Get to work alongside Tony Stark himself _

_ -Will look amazing on his resume _

_ -Possibly work on a better suit for Spider-Man? _

Cons:

- _ He can't drop out of school, he wouldn't do that to May. She’s been working harder than ever to ensure that Peter got an education, and he was going to make her proud and see it through.  _

_ -Tony Stark is Iron Man. He would be working alongside a wanted criminal. _

_ -Might put a dent in his hours on patrol _

The second point on the cons list was bothering him. Like Stark told him to do, he went home and did his research on Iron Man. He read articles after articles, video essays, philosophical debates and he found out that Stark was right. He was chaotic neutral.

Iron Man set fire to an Orphanage? Turns out the building was close to falling apart and had tons of health violations that were putting the children at risk but the authorities were doing nothing about it. After it was burnt down, they were given a better home to accommodate the children because of the public outcry that followed.  

Iron Man robbed a bank? The money was traced and found to be invested in a clean water system for the bad sides of town. 

Iron Man has killed people? All of them were known criminals. Rapists, Pedophiles, serial killers and such. 

Now, Peter wasn't one who believed that justice can be enforced by one person only, it wouldn't be fair. Which is why, when he busts up criminals or finds some kind of evidence, he hands it over to the police. The media portrays him as a vigilante who takes crime into his own hands, but that isn't necessarily true and he’s happy to hear from some of the police officers he’s talked to, that they don't think so either. Spider-man has helped reduce crime by simply...speeding up the process of arrest. 

Now Iron Man, was a different story altogether. He truly saw himself as an enforcer of justice and Peter wasn't a fan of that.

But he was helping those in need

But he was breaking the law

But he is helping people.

Is he a criminal? Technically, yes. But is he a bad person?

Peter groaned and dropped his head on his desk, his thinking taking him nowhere. Things would probably be a lot easier if he could talk to somebody about it. He would talk to Ned or May, but he wasn't sure if the NDA applied here or not, he would have to figure that out. 

For now though, his plan was that he would at least give it a shot. He’d go today after school, talk to Stark, figure out what he expects from him and then, make a well informed decision. 

He should have known by now, that his plans never work out the way he intended them to. 

His spider senses tingled, which made him sit up straight, alert. He felt like someone dangerous was nearby...but he wasn't in any danger. 

His heart leapt. Maybe Tony Stark was here? To possibly drag him to the compound?

The door of the classroom suddenly burst open and at the door was...someone Peter had never seen before. 

It was a man, a bit on the chubby side, wearing a suit with combed back black hair. He had a look of annoyance on his face as he surveyed the group of students. 

“I’m here for Peter Parker.” he announced. Peter wasn't going to reply to that, but unfortunately, all his classmates turned towards him in response, outing him. 

He cursed under his breath as the man caught his eye. 

The teacher, a bit in shock, finally said something, “Uh, Excuse me? We’re in the middle of a class here, you can't just barge in and-”

“There’s an emergency, I need to take Peter with me.”

“Well, do you have permission?”

The man handed the teacher a piece of paper. Peter could make out the principals seal of approval. 

“Oh.” she said, as she read through it, “Alright then, Peter, you’re free to go.”

Peter didn't want to go, but if he refused, he’d make a bigger commotion than what he was prepared to deal with. Besides, he had a feeling he knew who this man worked for and why he was here.  

Begrudgingly, Peter picked up his bag and followed the man out of the room. 

They were in his car driving away when he finally spoke. 

“So Mr.Stark sent you, huh, Mister...?”

The man replied after a beat, “The names Happy. And thanks for that, by the way. Ruined my evening.”

“Hey, I never asked you to come get me.”

“But you were asked to be at the compound, half an hour ago. Because you’re tardy, Tony’s made it my job to be babysitter.” Peter took some joy out of how animated the man was talking. 

“Babysitter!?” Peter exclaimed, “I’m fifteen, I don't need a babysitter. Besides, I couldn't come, I had school.”

“You skipped out on a Stark internship because of  _ school? _ ”

“...Education is important.”

The driver ended up closing the divider between them. 

~~~~~

“Well, look who finally decided to show up.”

Tony wheeled around in his chair, shooting Peter with a smirk, “Thanks Happy, I can take it from here.”

“Great.” Happy said, turning on his heels and stormed out. 

Tony chuckled, “You need to excuse Happy, he’s quite unlike his name.”

Peter frowned, “Yeah, I got that.”

Tony got up from his chair and made his way towards the boy, “So, pray tell me why you’re late for your first day?”

Peter looked at him, sighing, “I told you, Mr.Stark, I had school.”

“Bunk it. This is obviously more important.”

“Maybe to you,” Peter defended, “But my Aunt has worked really hard for my education, Mr.Stark. She’s the only breadwinner, and she works multiple shifts because she wants me to get through school and that, to me, is more important than any internship you can offer.”

Tony was silent for a few seconds, impressed. Peter really was a good hearted kid. 

“OK then,” he said, “Let’s make a schedule that suits you.”

“...Wait, really?”

Tony nodded, moving back to his desk. He had the hologram of the daily schedule brought up. 

Now, one might question why Tony was doing all this for a boy he just met a few days ago, and honestly, he couldn't give a straight answer himself. Call it intuition or a gut feeling, but he could tell that Peter was special. He couldn't put a finger on it, exactly. Perhaps it's because he saw that a talent like his couldn't be wasted away in basic education (he had pulled up Peter’s report cards over the years. Kid was a borderline genius). Perhaps he felt like Spider-man was deserving of an opportunity to become a better superhero (because lord knows his equipment is garbage). Perhaps he just wanted to do something good for once and Peter has, time and time again, proven that he was worthy of such treatment. 

Or maybe its because Peter reminded him so much of what he was like when he was young. Eager and excited for the future, passionate about science and dedicated to wanting to help people. He knew that time was delicate, and while Howard steered Tony to a path of death and destruction, perhaps Tony could steer Peter into a brighter outcome. 

“So,” Tony said as he scanned through the timings, “Internship means I expect you to be here every weekday unless you’re really sick or something. What time does school end for you?”

“Um…around 2”

“Great, so come by at that time.”

“Oh but I-” Peter walked forward, “I need to go on patrol- Spider-man has patrol.”

“You’re killing me here, Parker.”

“Sorry.” Peter said, looking a bit embarrassed, “I could always...go on patrol after the internship. Probably fight more crime when it's late in the evening.”

 Tony frowned, a bit concerned about that prospect, “How did you become a superhero anyway? And get a chair before you answer.”

“Oh, I uh…” Peter dragged over one of the chairs and sat down, “I was bitten by a radioactive spider.”

Silence passed over them, Tony’s eyes wide and confused, “...Excuse me?”

“Yeah.” Peter said, with a smile, like he was enjoying Tony’s state, “got bit. Next thing I knew I can climb walls and have super strength and stuff.”

“So that’s when you decided to fight crime?”

Peter paused, a somber look crossing his face for a split second before he said, “Pretty much.”

Tony decided to ignore that second of hesitation. If the kid wanted to tell him, he would. 

“Alright then. So hop over here after school, work for a few hours and then you can go fight crime...in your clown costume.”

“Hey!” Peter said, offended, “It’s not a clown costume!”

“It’s glorified pajamas Parker. First task as my intern, we’re making you a new suit.”

Peter sputtered, surprised, “We are?! I thought I was working for  _ you? _ ”

“You’re the one making the suit, i’ll just give you some guidance.” He reached over the table and grabbed a notebook and a pen, tossing it over to the kid, “Get to work, start on some designs. No intern of mine is fighting crime in red cowboy boots. After that, you can test out the modifications I made to your web shooters.”

“Design-cow-modifi-what?” Peter stammered, his brain processing all the spontaneous planning and information. Tony chuckled and grabbed his head, facing it towards the paper, “Get to work.”

~~~~~

“MAY!” Peter screamed as he entered his home, adrenaline still pumping through his veins. He heard some grunting and clanging before May ran towards the front door, a pan in hand as she wielded it like a club, “What? What’s going on?”

Peter put his hands up in surrender, “Nothing bad.”

“Oh.” May slumped, putting down her weapon, “Don’t do that! I thought there was trouble.”

“Sorry.” Peter said, sheepishly, “But I have huge news!”

“Alright, what is it?” May asked as she walked towards the couch, throwing herself on it.

Peter skipped in front of her, ready to break the news, “I’m Tony Stark’s new intern.”

May’s expression dropped, “...What?”

“I didn't tell you think because I was still conflicted about it, but basically, I met Mr.Stark when we had the school trip and he offered me an internship and today was my first day!”

May blinked rapidly before she closed her eyes, confused, “I don't understand. This man randomly offered you this job? Honey, that sounds like a scam.”

“Oh no, it's definitely real, we had this whole...intellectual conversation before he offered it to me. Plus some other stuff I cant disclose. Oh, don't make that face, its nothing inappropriate. So, I got picked up at school and I was taken to the industry-”

“He picked you up from school?” May asked, sounding a bit horrified.

Peter unfortunately, didn't pick up on that, “No, not him, one of his workers.”

“A random man came to pick you up and  _ you just went with him?”  _ May shrieked, “Peter, that’s something five year old know not to do!”

Peter sputtered for a second, “You do know i’m Spider-man, right?”

May found out about his superhero identity several months ago. Peter had been really good at keeping his crime fighting life secret from May, knowing that she would freak out. But one day, he came back home to find her arguing with an ex-boyfriend. He watched as the man slapped her across the cheek and the next thing he knew, Peter had punched him through a wall. 

Needless to say, she freaked out. She squeezed every last detail she could from Peter about Spider-man and was understandably worried. But surprisingly, she eventually made her peace with it, so long as Peter worked within the rules she set up for him. 

“That doesn't mean you throw yourself in danger!” she said.

“Whatever, May,” Peter said, wanting to get back on track, “There was no danger, everything was totally OK. Anyway, I got to work with him today and we’re making Spider-man a new suit!”

“Oh, well that's nice.” May said, “Why didn't you tell me this sooner?”

“I didn't know if I could, will all the NDA’s and stuff.” Peter explained, “But Mr.Stark said I have to tell you this much. Also something about how you have to give me permission to continue the internship. Apparently it's the law, or something.”

“Oh yeah, that’s right.” she pet the cushion next to her and Peter sat down, “Is this something you really want to do?”

Peter thought for a second, “Honestly, I'm still not a hundred percent sure about it.”

“Why not?”

Peter had to choose his words carefully. He wasn't allowed to mention anything about Iron Man and the fact that Tony Stark was technically a criminal, “Just...with school and Spider-man, it might get too hectic?” he said, hoping it was a good enough excuse. He wasn't going to pretend like he wasn't having second doubts, at least not to May. He was as honest as he could be with her about big decisions. May was an excellent listener and more often that not, a very reliable voice of reason.

“Well sweetheart, i’m not going to say it won't be difficult but, that isn't to say you won't be able to handle it. You once wrote your English paper with a broken finger just because you wanted to win a bet against Flash.”

“Guy bet me that I couldn't get a perfect score on that test. Easiest fifty bucks I ever made.”

“See? You should have that confidence” she poked him in the chest, “Besides honey, no one is ever a hundred percent sure about any decision they make. Give the internship a shot, and if it gets too much, you can stop it.”

Peter smiled, dropping his head on her shoulder, “Thanks May.”

“You’re welcome honey.” she combed a hand through his hair before she got up, “Ready for dinner?”

“Yeah, I can eat.”

She smiled as she walked away to the kitchen. Peter was grateful to have such a supportive and understanding guardian. 

“Peter.” she suddenly called out. He turned and looked at her, watching as she stared at the phone in her hand.

“Yeah?” he asked.

“That Tony Stark guy is like...a multi millionaire, right?”

“Billionaire May, with a B”

“Mhmm.” she flipped the phone and showed Peter the screen, “I think your multi billionaire boss just sent over a hundred thousand dollars to your account.”

“...What?” Peter checked his phone and sure enough, he had received a text from his bank account (one that May had access to as well) saying that he was a hundred thousand richer.

“What!?”

It was then that it truly hit Peter, that this wasn't going to be a normal internship. 


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am on a roll!  
> Comments and Kudos appreciated!

Peter was so excited his leg wouldn't stop shaking. It got so loud to the point where the teacher called him out on it, asking him to calm down. Peter blushed, embarrassed as his classmates chuckled. He couldn't help it however. It had been a whole month since he had been working with Tony Stark and today was finally the day where the new Spider-man suit was complete and Peter was going to take it for a spin. 

He made a joke about ‘taking it for a swing’ instead and Stark just looked at him with disappointment. 

Things were going well between the two of them. It started off rocky and patchy. Stark wasn't the type of person Peter was used to being around and vice versa. Peter was even sure that if Stark was a kid of his age, they would not be friends.    
Surprisingly, however, he was fairly down to Earth and not a...terrible guy. He still drove Peter up the wall with his sarcasm and quips, but deep down, he knew he was a very caring man. Unfortunately however, he cared in very...over the top ways. 

There was the huge ‘salary’ that he had given Peter, which was one of their earlier arguments, on Peter’s second day of work:

“Why did you send me a hundred thousand dollars?!”

“...Good to see you too Parker.”

Tony chuckled as the young boy burst into the lab, face flushed.

“Sorry. Good afternoon, Mr.Stark. Why did you send me a hundred thousand dollars?”

“Ever heard of a salary?” Tony asked as he read through some files.

“Salary for what? I’ve been here a day. Besides, that's too much money for an  _ internship _ .”

“Don't see why you’re complaining about this, anyone else would be thrilled.”

“Well, I'm not anyone else and I want you to take back the money.”

Tony looked up, appalled, “Take  _ back  _ the money?”

“It’s too much!” Peter explained, “I can't accept it.”

“You can't- What kind of human are you?” Tony snapped.

Peter opened his mouth, offended, “A human with a rock solid moral compass, thank you very much.”

“Ugh, OK how about this.” Tony said, negotiating, “I won't take back the money, but we can use it to buy some of the material for your suit, sound fair?”

“...Yeah OK.”

That turned out to be bullshit. Not for Peter’s lack of trying of course. Every time he offered to buy the material Tony would say, “Nah, the suppliers want a one time payment of like, a million dollars, your card won't do.”

Instead he would make Peter use the money to go buy him things like, coffee or donuts. 

 Peter found it frustrating. May thought it was hilarious. 

It was the end of the month and Tony had wired him another hundred grand. Peter decided to not bother fighting a losing battle, and he ended up giving a good sum of money to charity to ease his conscious, and the rest of it, he started saving for college and to help pay the bills (he thought it couldn't be too bad to use the second payment on himself. After all, he did work for it). 

May thought it was a very humble and gracious thing to do. Tony thought he was an idiot.

“Why don't you buy like, video games or porn or something, like a normal teenager.” he asked once, as they were working. 

Peter blushed, frowning, “...I have enough excitement in my life, I don't need more. And who buys pornography, you know that’s free on the internet, right?”

“Know it? I’m probably in some of it.”

“Ack, no ew ew ew, I didn't want to hear that.” Peter closed his ears, ignoring Tony’s laughter. Peter knew he was just teasing, but he didn't want to picture his mentor...having sex. But from what he gathered, it was probably a lie. Stark had made some comments about past lovers, but none of them seemed to be recent. Several years ago, give or take. 

And the longer he spent with the man, it was clear that he was...lonely. 

He either spent time in his lab or in his office. At the end of the day, he would go to a house that only he occupied before he woke up the next morning and did the whole process again. 

Peter had once invited him home for dinner and the shock that was in Tony’s eyes made him feel quite sad. He refused, of course, what with the whole anonymous thing he had going on, but Peter could tell he appreciated it. 

Anyways, they’d gotten fairly close this past month and Peter was happy to say he wasn't regretting it (yet).

The school bell finally rang and Peter was the first one to bolt out of there. He shouted a quick goodbye to his friends before he was on the streets, running towards the train station to take the next ride to the Stark tower. 

“...I would ask if you’re ready but I don’t think that’s necessary.” Tony Stark said when Peter entered the lab, “Kid, if you keep jumping like that you’ll cramp.”

“I can’t help it, i’m excited!” Peter said, grinning, which made Stark chuckle. 

“Alright then Spider-boy, go get changed.”

“Spider- _ man _ .”

Stark rolled his eyes, “You weren't in that old onesie of yours.”

“It’s not a onesie.” Peter replied pouting.

“Are you going to get changed or not?”

Five minutes later, Peter walked back into the lab, only now, dressed in his new Spider-man suit. 

“I’ve never been so happy in my entire life.”

Stark looked him up and down, nodding. “Looks good. Feel OK?”

“It feels amazing!” 

The older man chuckled, before he made his way to his work table, on which, where several desktop monitors, “Alright then, take it for a spin. I’ll keep the suits abilities in check.”

“Sounds good!” and without waiting, Peter opened one of the windows in the lab and jumped out. 

~~~~~

Peter yelled out an excited cry and he pulled himself up into the sky, twisting his body around before he landed flawlessly on a roof of a building. 

He pulled the mask up just enough to uncover his mouth as he breathed heavily, calming down. 

_ “You don’t take things slow, do you?” _ he heard Stark ask. Inside the mask he could see Stark's face off on the side as he talked to him.

“Can’t help it.” Peter said, grinning, “It’s fun.”

_ “Whatever. So, the suit and the web’s are working properly. Intercom's are functioning. Things seem to be OK. Come back and we can test the other web functions in the training room.” _

“Sound good Mr.Stark.” 

Pulling the mask back down, Peter quickly leaped off the building and swung away. 

He was ten minutes away from the tower when his senses picked up on something. He landed sideways on a building wall, listening carefully, his eyes darting over his surroundings. He was in a less populated section of the town so he could hone in on what he was trying to find. 

That’s when he heard the shuffling and a scream.

Quickly, Peter started to swing towards the commotion. 

Stark spoke up,  _ “Peter? You’re going the wrong way. Need me to pull up a map? I can do that you know.” _

Peter grunted as he swung faster, “I think someone is in trouble.”

Just as he said that, he saw the source of the commotion several blocks away. In an alleyway, there was a man, dressed in black as he attacked a woman. He had a purse in his hands, presumably hers, but he was still kicking and yelling at her crumpled form. 

The suit, with its advanced tech, immediately scanned the man and identified him as a local thief, as well as the items he had on him...one of which was a gun.

_ “Peter.” _ he heard Stark say, concern in his voice,  _ “The man is armed, get out of there.” _

If anything, that made Peter swing even faster towards them. 

_ “Peter Benjamin Parker, you get back here right-” _

 Peter quickly shot two webs on both the building, and using his body like a slingshot, pulled himself towards the man and crashed into him, feet first. The impact threw the thief far into the alley way where he skid onto the ground. 

Not waiting, Peter charged after him. The man had quickly gotten up to his feet, so Peter shot a web onto his face, making him yell in shock. While he was distracted, Peter reeled back and landed a punch across his face which sent him face first into the wall. 

He heard the man cuss, catching himself. Thankfully, Peter saw him reach for his gun and quickly shot another web, trapping his hand against the building. Peter quickly fished out the gun and threw it aside. Just for good measures, he webbed up the other hand as well. And because he wanted to, Peter landed a swift kick between his legs, making the man wheeze.

“Serves you right.” Peter said, before he made his way back to the victim, picking up her purse on the way. He approached her, laying his hand gently on her shoulder, trying to steady her shivering.

“You OK? I mean, dumb question, of course you’re not OK, but are you OK enough to stand? I can drop you home if you’d like, I'll let the police know what happened here.”

As Peter helped her up, the woman clutching onto his hands, his spider sense tingle and he realized they were still in danger. Turning around, he saw the man, having somehow broken out of his webs, with the gun in his hands, aimed straight at Peter and he shot. 

Time seemed to freeze as the bullet sailed towards Peter, but he couldn't move, his legs were frozen. He had faced many bad guys before, with many weapons (knives and steel pipes mostly) but this was the first time he had been up against a man with a gun. It was a lot more scary than he thought it was. 

So he did the only thing he could process which was to protect the woman with him. He threw himself over her, trying to cover her body as much as he could when suddenly, he heard a sound, like metal clanging together

 When he realized that he hadn't been hit yet, Peter looked up and saw Iron Man there. 

He was standing in front of the two, protecting them. The armor opened up its clenched fist and a bullet dropped uselessly onto the ground. 

Without saying anything, Iron man simply revved up his gauntlet and shot the thief square on the chest sending him flying backwards. The body smashed against the building wall and he fell unconscious. 

He turned around to face the two of them and Peter could feel that Stark was angry. 

“Police are almost here.” Iron man told the lady, who was even more shocked than before, “Get them to take you to a hospital.” she peeked over his shoulder at the unconscious man, “Don’t worry about him, he’ll be out cold for hours. Definitely won't wake up until the cops show up. Now we,” he nabbed Peter by the back of his neck, fisting the fabric, “are going.” 

With that, his boots started functioning and they flew off, leaving behind a trail of smoke and a woman too shocked to say thank you.

~~~~~

Tony landed at the tower’s balcony, his contraption popping up to remove the armor from his body. He dropped the kid before that happened, letting Peter take a second to collect himself, within which, he was completely out of the armor. 

Folding his arms, he shot Peter with a glare, “Mask off. Look at me.”

The kid hesitated for a second before he took it off, a tight expression on his face.

“What the  _ hell  _ were you thinking?” Tony spat, livid, “I told you to get away and you  _ ignored  _ me, to fight a man with a gun! You could have died!”

“I wasn't going to just leave her there!” Peter defended, “she needed my help!”

“A lot of people out there need help Parker, but that doesn't mean you have to be reckless and fling yourself into dangerous situations. What if I didn't show up, huh? You’ll be bleeding to death on the ground right now if it wasn't for me.” he paused, making sure Peter was listening before he continued, “I need the person wearing this suit to be responsible and I won’t hesitate to take it away from you if you  _ ever  _ do something like that again.”

Peter’s expression fell and he looked to the ground, ashamed, “...You’re right. And I'm sorry for making you worry but, I wasn't going to run away.”

“God, Parker.” Tony sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose, “The man had a  _ gun _ . You’re not bulletproof!”

“I don't care! Even if there were a group of people with guns, I would have still gone and helped her!”

“Are you even listening to yourself?!” They were both close to yelling now, “Even when we first met you were a reckless idiot! Why do you feel the need to rush into danger?”

“Because the last time I ran from danger my uncle died!” Peter snapped, face red.

Tony fell silent for a second, “What?”

Peter sighed, “...it was right after I got my powers. My uncle and I were out buying groceries where this guy bust into the store with a gun. He was robbing and shooting people...and i wanted to fight him but Ben didn't know I had my powers, so when the guy wasn't looking, Ben pushed me out the front door and told me to run. He was going to follow me but he got spotted trying to escape and got shot. He died, and I ran away.”

The kid cleared his throat before continuing, “After that, I promised myself that I would never run away again. If- When people need my help, I'm going to be there, no matter what and I'm going to keep doing that, even if you take the suit away.”

“...Yeah, yeah I guess you would.” Tony said, a bit calmer, “Listen, kid, just-” he placed his hands on Peter’s shoulders, “I’m not saying you shouldn't help people, or that you should have left the woman alone. I’m saying you need to think before you act.” He squeezed the kid’s shoulders, “Running away doesn't mean defeat. You could have caused a distraction, or thought of some other plan that benefited everyone. Because face the facts kid, he only got the gun out when you attacked him.”

Peter made a face like a sad puppy and Tony felt his heart clench, “Just be a bit smarter next time, OK?” he ruffled Peter’s curls at that, trying to cheer him up a bit, “It’s getting late. Get yourself home, sleep it off. We’ll talk about the suit tomorrow.”

“Yeah, OK.” Peter said, before he walked away to get changed. 

“And no more patrolling!” Tony quickly added before Peter was out the door, “you’re done for today, just go straight home. I’ll know if you didn't.”

Peter let out a huff, “Fine.”

“What was that?”

“OK, Mr.Stark.”

“Good. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

With that, the kid was gone. 

Tony let out an exaggerated sigh that he was holding in. He quickly made his way to the kitchen (they were in the lounge section of the tower. That belonged only to him) and got out a bottle of whiskey. Pouring himself a decent amount, he quickly finished the glass, settling his nerves. 

When he saw Peter going to fight the armed criminal, he hadn't felt fear like that in a long time. The kid had grown on him, and it still irked him that someone so young was out there fighting bad guys, instead of going to parties and having girlfriends or boyfriends. He didn't even realize he was in the Iron Man suit until he was two minutes away from the fight. Any later, and Parker would have definitely been shot. 

Tony shuddered at the thought as he poured himself another glass. 

It was his job as a mentor to make sure the kid was safe, god knows the world couldn't lose someone as pure and kind hearted as him. 

Tony needed to see if he could make the suit bulletproof. 


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bit of an angsty chapter but not really.  
> Shameless self plug: Please check out my new fanfic! It's called 'Two superheroes sitting in a tree', and its a story about Natasha Stark and Steve Roger's from Earth 3490 and in later chapters, i'll be adding some Iron!Mom in there too. I'm really happy with the way I've written it so far and I cannot wait to write more. Please check it out and show it some love!

Today was a somber day for Tony.

It marked another year since the incident. Sixteen years had gone by since Emma was murdered and Caleb was sent away.

Nobody else knew exactly why, but his workers just knew that today was a difficult day for the man, so they left him alone. Every year, he would come in and immediately go into the lab and not come out for the whole day. The employees were given orders to not disturb him, so everyone continued to work as they usually do and they try not to get concerned when he doesn't leave the lab even for things like food. 

Unfortunately nobody told Peter.

Tony was in his lab, tinkering away as he always did. His heart was aching and a heavy loneliness sat on his chest to the point where he felt like he couldn't breathe. He often heard about how parents who have lost children, often hold onto their child possessions or pictures for the rest of their lives, and it makes it easier to mourn. 

Tony didn't doubt that. He didn't have a single thing he could remember Caleb by. No pictures, no videos, no possessions, not a single damn thing. And he hated it, he hated it so much. 

He hated that he still didn't know where Caleb was. He hated that he wasn't there for his son’s upbringing. He hated that Howard died before he could get him to tell him Caleb’s new identity (although, he knew that never would have happened). He hated the fact that he could no longer remember what Caleb looked like. He hated that he didn't even know if his son was still alive. 

The heaviness was overbearing now. Tony dropped the tools he was holding, allowing it to clatter onto the table. He put his head in his hands and he cried, silently, his sobs echoing in the empty room. 

Suddenly, his lab door opened and someone walked in. 

“Hey Mr.Stark!” Peter called out, chipper, “Sorry for barging in on you. I know today is Saturday and I don’t have my internship, but May made some Walnut-Date cake and she wanted you to have some. Unfortunately, it tasted terrible so I threw it out and bought an actually nice tasting cake so-” he caught sight of his mentor’s (no doubt terrible looking) face and his mouth dropped, concern leaking from his eyes. 

“Mr.Stark, what’s wrong? Are you OK?” Peter asked as he rushed forward, but he stopped in his tracks when Tony lifted up a hand. 

“Peter,” Tony said, tiredness evident in his voice, “Today is not a good day for me, so please, just leave.”

“...Right, yeah, sure.” Peter quickly placed the cake on the table, “Do you want to talk about it?”

Tony forced out a chuckle, “No offence kid, but a fifteen year old is not capable of handling my baggage. Just go.”

“OK,” Peter said, backing away, “I understand.”

Tony closed his eyes as he heard Peter’s footsteps walking away. It stopped for a minute right as he was supposed to leave the lab. Tony peaked one eye open and saw the kid by the door, hesitation on his face before he turned around to look at Tony.

“...I’m going on patrol.” he announced.

“...OK? Good for you.” Tony mumbled, knowing that Peter could hear him anyway.

“No, I mean.” Peter let out a huff, clearly he was nervous, “I know I'm only fifteen and my problems probably don't even come close to yours, but I find that when I'm feeling down, or things are going bad, or when it’s Ben’s anniversary, I put on the suit and I go out and help people and doing that, helps me out. A lot, if that makes sense. So...I don’t know, if Iron Man wanted to join Spider-man for some patrol time, I wouldn't say no.” he continued after a pause, “But I get if you don't want to, I understand that different people have different methods of coping with things, I just...i don't know. I-I’ll see you later Mr.Stark.” with that, the kid left, shutting the door behind him. 

Tony looked at the door for a few seconds before he looked back at the monitor and stared in silence for about ten minutes. Finally, just to kill time, he brought up the baby-monitor protocol (after Peter’s first fiesta involving the robber, Tony’s installed this new program, much to Peter’s disapproval and embarrassment. If he used the protocol, he could see what Peter was seeing) and sure enough, the kid was on patrol. He was swinging from building to building, his surrounding zooming past him. Tony watched transfixed. There was something relaxing about the swinging motion, the way it dipped and flew up only to dip again. Tony found himself calming down. The fact that it was the evening time, that the sky was a light shade of orange and it colored the whole city that way, also seemed to help. It was beautiful to look at. Peter would stop swinging to help people out, but at this time, there wasn't much for him to do. He watched as the kid helped out a few people, gave them directions, escorted some women home, got a cat down from a tree, all that stuff. It was charming, wholesome in fact. Tony wondered what Iron Man would look like wrestling a cat down from a tree. 

He thought about what Peter said, about how getting into the suit would make him feel better and to be fair, he has felt better since watching Peter’s feed. Maybe some fresh air would do him some good. 

A part of him felt a bit guilty. After all, today marked a very tragic day in his life, was he allowed to try and make himself feel better?

Tony internally debated for a minute before he decided that he would get into the armor. He was allowing himself to take a break from the moping and mourning. 

After all, he had years of his life left to do that.

~~~~~

_  “Oh Caleb,My Bambino, you’re not going to remember any of this, but I need you to know, I love you, so, so much, more than anything in this world.” _

_ He felt a warmth pass through his body, love enveloping him until- _

Peter’s eyes shot open, focusing back into the real world. 

‘That dream again.’ he thought as he pushed himself out of bed, groggily. Every year, on that exact day, Peter would get that same dream. He didn't know why, didn't understand what it meant or why he got it once every year. Besides, it was also quite weird. He could barely see anything in the dream. Occasionally, he would get flashes of a bed but besides that, it was usually a sea of murky grey and black with those words being spoken.   
 He was pretty sure it was a memory of some kind, and not something his brain cooked up. His theory was that it was his father, Richard, telling him how much he loved him, which made Peter smile. But he couldn't figure out why the name ‘Caleb’ was being said.  He remembered his dad calling him all sorts of nicknames as a kid, but they were all plays on the name ‘Peter’, not a different name entirely. 

He once asked May about it and she said: “Oh, when you were a baby your parents had a hard time agreeing on a name for you. Richard probably wanted to call you Caleb.”

   And that made sense, sure, but there was something that was still nagging Peter about it. He wasn't sold on that explanation. Unfortunately, there was no way for him to confirm or debunk it, so he had to make his peace with it. 

Every time he gets that dream, it always leaves Peter feeling...weird. Like there was something missing, or something important that he forgot. The amount of love and pain behind the words that he could hear, clearly something important was going on for his dad to sound like that. Peter always fell into a weird state during that day. He would spend all of his time fixating on the dream. Luckily, it was the weekend and he was free to waste his time. 

May, being the sweetheart that she is, knew this date as the day Peter gets mopey, so she tried to cheer him up by baking him a cake. Unbeknownst to her, it tasted like shit, but Peter swallowed it down just to see her smile. 

“You sure you don’t want another piece?” she asked with a grin.

Peter tried to not sound desperate, “No, I've had enough May.”

“Oh, that’s a shame. Looks like I've made too much.” she looked down at the leftover, “Because you eat more these days I made you a giant cake.”

“Y-Yeah but, spiders are allergic to sweet stuff,” Peter explained, not knowing if that was true or not, “and I don’t know if that got passed down to me too. Better to not risk it.”

May mulled it over, “Yeah, you’re right. But I can’t eat all of this and I don't want to throw it out...oh! Why don’t you hand some over to Tony Stark?”

“What?”

“I’m sure he’ll appreciate it!” May said, already fishing out a box to pack it in, “tell him your wonderful aunt made it for him, make him feel special.”

Peter threw it in the trash when he was far enough. He felt guilty, but he’d feel even more so if he made his mentor eat something that was so bad.

But, he did like the idea of surprising Stark with a gift. The man had already done so much for him, he could repay with a small gift. He would swing by (haha), hand him the cake and then go on patrol. 

He wasn't expecting to catch the man crying. Peter got worried and scared, but Mr.Stark clearly wanted to be left alone, so he didn't push. Even when he offered for Iron Man to come patrol with him, he was nervous. He didn't want to overstep his boundaries. 

But all his fears washed away when around half an hour after he left the tower, when Peter was chasing a molester down the street, Iron Man came crashing down and knocked the guy out cold. 

Peter then coached him on how to help the ‘everyday man’ or the ‘little guy’ as Tony called it. And it was good. Tony flew a young man to a hospital when he was badly injured. He helped a teenage boy from being bullied. He assisted a young lady with moving incredibly heavy furniture into her new home. He called a taxi for a man who was drunk off his mind. He helped an old lady who was being harassed by a bunch of men, so she gave him a basket of apples as a thank you gift. He handed over the apples to a homeless shelter. 

People were terrified at the beginning. It’s not everyday that you see Iron Man roaming the streets, you never knew what he was going to do next. But people seemed to calm down when he allowed a little boy to paste some stickers on his armor (someone had taken a picture of it and uploaded it to twitter. Peter wasn't surprised to see it trending). They watched as Iron Man caressed the boy’s hair, lovingly as he thanked him for the decorations.

Eventually, it got late and Iron Man took off to the skies. Peter grinned happily as he took off after him, trying to catch up to the man.

“Hey kid.” Stark said through their comms, “Want a lift?”

“Is it going to be like the last time you lifted me?”

“Peter that was months ago, get over it.”

That made the younger boy laugh as he shot out his web, the material sticking onto the armor. 

“Hang on tight kid.” 

With that, the boots revved up and Peter followed it. He yelled in excitement as he (technically) flew over the city. Tony was high up but not so high that it would be difficult for Spider-man to save himself if he fell. But Peter didn't fall. He held onto that web, feeling his heart elevate over this experience. He could hear Tony laugh too, which made him even happier. It was no secret that Peter looked up to the man. He was brilliant, witty and kind hearted and seeing him so broken and sad, all Peter wanted to do was help him out as much as possible. Peter has had two fathers in the past, and he wasn't ready to consider Tony a third, but he was definitely at rich-uncle status at most.

They flew around for awhile before they stopped. Tony deposited Peter on the roof of a skyscraper, which had the most amazing view. The sky was turning into a dark purple shade, but it was a contrast to the busy city, the street lights and vehicles shrouded the whole place in a bright, beautiful yellow glow.

“Wow.” he heard Tony say as the armor landed next to him.

“Yeah.” Peter agreed, not really knowing what to say either. He sat down by the edge, pulling the mask off his face. Iron Man joined him, his joints clunky and loud, but Tony wasn't getting out of the armor. 

They sat like that together, watching the view. They were even lucky enough to see a bunch of stars in the sky. Peter wasn't going to say anything until Tony said something first. After fifteen minutes or so, the man spoke up:

“Thank you, Parker. You were right. Being in the suit and helping people...it made things better.”

“I’m glad.” Peter said, honestly, “You made a lot of people happy Mr.Stark”

Tony looked over at the kid. Peter imagined that if the face plate wasn't on, he might have been smiling. A gloved hand came up and ruffled Peter’s hair, “Today is...not a good day for me. I lost someone very close to me many years ago, but it still hurts. If they were still with me, well, I can only hope they would be as kind hearted as you, kid.”

Peter’s heart swelled with happiness and he willed his eyes to not well up with tears, “Gosh that's- thank you Mr.Stark, that means a lot coming from you.”

“Calm down kid.” he said, roughly patting Peter’s back, “It’s just a compliment.”

Peter grinned at him, his happiness evident. A small part of him wanted to talk about his dream with Tony. He couldn't tell why, exactly, it had nothing to do with his mentor, but he felt like he wanted to. 

But he held it in. For now, it was about Tony and making him feel better. His own problem could wait. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Comments and Kudos are appreciated.  
> And check out the new fanfic!


	8. Chapter 8

“Hey Penis!” Peter heard Flash yell from across the hall. Peter rolled his eyes and continued to walk away to the front doors. Ned let out an annoyed grunt beside him, speeding up to keep up with his best friend. 

“Penis!” Flash yelled louder, his voice closer, “I know you can hear me, dickwad.”

Peter rolled his eyes and stopped, knowing that Flash wouldn't leave him alone if he just continued to ignore him. 

“What?” he asked, irritated.

“Why so grouchy?” Flash teased once he was close, “Just wanted to invite you to a party tonight.

Peter was ready to deal back a comeback but was genuinely caught off guard, “I...You what?”

“Yeah,” Flash said, “You and nerdo here.” he gestured to Ned, who was just as confused

“Why are you inviting us to your party?” Ned asked.

“Well, it’s not mine technically,” Flash said, “It’s my cousins and I'm going to live stream it.”

Peter and Ned just stared at him blankly, still not getting his point.

Flash rolled his eyes, “So, my fans need to see how awesome the parties I go to are, which means, it has to be packed with people dancing and drinking which is why you two are showing up.”

“But we’re underage.” Peter said.

Flash looked disgusted, “What are you, a wimp? Ninety percent of the people there are underage, nobody cares.”

“So you have a bunch of underage people drinking in one location and you’re going to broadcast the crime, great plan.” Peter said, “Thanks for the invite, but i’ll pass.”

Ned looked conflicted, “I- I mean, nobody said we had to drink!” he reasoned, “We can just go there to dance and fun.”

“Yeah, whatever floats your boat, man.” Flash said, “But make sure you’re there!” with that, he turned on his heel and left. 

Ned looked at Peter, excitement in his eyes, “Peter, come on! We hardly ever get invited to parties.”

“I can't Ned, I have plans.”

Ned gave him a look, “What plans?”

“In-” Peter was about to say the word ‘internship’, but he caught himself in the last minute, “-terior redecorating.”

“What?”

Peter racked his brain to think of an excuse, “...May wants me to fix some...stuff in the house”

“...What stuff?”

“You know, lights and...stuff.” Peter was really bad at lying. Thank God Ned seemed to buy it, or at least pretended he did:

“Dude, it’s May. She’s been wanting you to go out for parties and have fun, I'm sure she’ll let off the hook for one night! Come on, don’t you want to go?”

And honestly, “Yeah, fine.” Peter admitted, “It does sound nice.”

“Awesome! So let’s go.”

“Hang on, let me talk to May about it.”

~~~~~

Mr.Stark was surprisingly cool with it. Once Peter called him and asked him if he could take the day off, his mentor was all for it. He even mentioned that he was planning on giving Peter a break.

_“You’ve been coming by non stop for three months now, I think you deserve some time off.”_ Stark said, _“Today’s Friday right? Take the whole of next week off.”_

“Woah, are you sure Mr.Stark?”

_ “Yes, I'm sure. Your exams are coming up too, I can't have my intern getting anything less that perfect on their report card so take the time to study up.” _

So Peter was at a party, the first one in a long, long time. 

May was really excited, as Ned said, she had wanted Peter to go out and have some fun, like teenagers do. So she dressed him up. He was wearing jeans, a stylish t-shirt that didn't have a pun, a black jacket and his hair was styled back with gel. He looked pretty good if he did say so himself. May also dropped him and Ned at the house on her way to her shift. She kissed Peter’s cheek and told him to have a good time before she left.

The second Peter and Ned entered the room, they were hit with loud, pounding music and bright lights everywhere.

“Yooooo Penissss” Flash yelled as he tumbled towards them, “You nerds came! Say hi to my fans” he held up his phone, but instead of it being in selfie mode, it was filming through the front camera, “I have the best fans in the woooorld.”

“Flash.” Peter hissed, “Are you drunk?”

“M’ Hammered.” the boy confessed, “But it’s fine because I just turned twenty one.” He tried to wink but ended up blinking both eyes, trying to be coy. Peter just rolled his eyes as Flash walked away, taking another swing of the glass in his hand. 

“Dude.” Ned said, grabbing Peter’s attention, “There are so. Many. girls.”

Peter looked around and indeed saw, many girls. Most of whom were seniors if he had to guess. He recognized some of them from school, others looked way too mature to be anything under eighteen. Ned was practically drooling.

“Come on, we got to talk to them!” 

Before Peter could protest, Ned had grabbed his arm and dragged him away to socialise.

It was surprisingly not terrible. Peter swallowed his tongue and sputtered every time he tried to say something to the gorgeous women, but they just seemed to find it cute and charming rather than pathetic (MJ’s words, not his. She was at the party, even though she always claimed to be too cool for it). The girls ended up dragging him and Ned to the dance floor, where they screamed and jumped to the beat of the songs. Peter had to admit, he was having a hell of a time. 

Until he got a drink in his hand. Flash had rolled up to them and placed white plastic cups in their hands. 

“Uh, Flash.” Ned said, “We aren't drinking.”

“Tis not alcohol.” Flash slurred, “White cup means you poor bitch boys won't be doing anything baaaad.”

The glare they sent his way was unnoticed. However when he walked away, he tripped and fell and the boys didn't really feel like helping him out. 

Ned looked into the cup, “Looks like Sprite.”

Peter simply shrugged and jugged the drink down. He winced, gritting his teeth. It tasted disgusting! “Ew!” Peter exclaimed, “What is this?”

He looked over at Ned who had also finished his cup and was also grimacing. However, in a few seconds, a dopey smile crossed his face: “I want more.” he said, before he grabbed another white cup that was placed on a table nearby.

Peter’s alarm bells were going off but for whatever reason, he didn't feel like acting on it. With a shrug, not thinking, he also grabbed another glass.

~~~~~

“A party?” Tony asked, thinking it over. Peter had been working for him for quite awhile now and he had to admit, he felt a bit guilty about that. He hadn't realized he was robbing Peter from his high school experiences. He had brought up the topic once, asking Peter if he had a partner or something else he wanted to do during the internship time, to which the kid blushed and told Tony he had nothing and no one he needed to hang out with. From what Tony could gather, Peter had two close friends, Ned and MJ, who were nerds themselves so partying wasn't really their scene.

So when Peter called to ask if he could go to a party, Tony was quite happy.

But he also knew what teenager parties entailed, so he made sure to ask:

“Peter, is there going to be alcohol at this party?”

“Alcohol?” Peter repeated, his voice suspiciously high pitched, “No, no drinking. Just a regular house party.”

Peter was a terrible liar and Tony could tell immediately. In retrospect, he knew that he had no right to give Peter permission over these kinds of decisions, but so help him, he would drag the kid away from the place if he had to. He still vividly remembered his youth filled days that consisted of alcohol, drugs and sex. Peter was too good for that. He was about to reprimand the kid and forbid him from going, but he stopped himself:

Over the past few months he and Peter had gotten really close, to the point where Tony felt like calling Peter, ‘Kid’ wasn't just a nickname. He felt guilty over that, his mind automatically thinking about Caleb. No one on Earth could replace his baby boy, and he wasn't trying to, but he truly cared about Peter Parker, and he could tell his feelings were becoming too paternal to be normal. He could tell when the kid was in a bad mood and knew which ice cream to buy to cheer him up, he knew of his exam schedules, he kept track of his Spider-man activities, he knew of his friends and a lot about his aunt, he knew that Star Wars was Peter’s favorite movie and he already bought a limited edition set for his birthday (which was coming up quite soon. He still felt like the gift wasn't enough). He’d gotten quite close to Peter and he cherished their bond, until moments like these showed up: 

He wasn't the boys father, he reminded himself, he technically had no say in the situation. Plus, he wasn't sure how Peter felt. He didn't think the kid saw him as a father figure, but he definitely saw Tony in a higher regard than most adult figures in his life (aside from May, of course). Tony knew that if he told Peter he couldn't go, he wouldn't.

But Tony shouldn't abuse his power that way

But it was for Peter’s own good.

But this was the first time in months that Peter had asked to go out with friends.

So, in the end, he gave Peter his permission.

He tried not to get too angry when he got a call from the police station.

~~~~~

“Hey, Mr Stark.” Peter said, embarrassed, “So...I’m in a bit of a situation.”

_“Are you alright?”_ Mr.Stark asked, _“What’s going on?”_

“I...I kinda need you to bail me out of jail.”

There was complete silence for a good minute.

“Uh, Mr.Stark?”

_ “...You’re in **jail**? Why?” _

“Well, the cops came by and found alcohol at the party.”

_“Didn't you tell me that there wasn't any drinking going on?”_ Mr.Stark asked, a sharp edge to his tone.

“Ok, that was a lie,” Peter admitted, “But I didn't drink anything- look, can you please come bail me out? May is working and there's no one else I can call.”

_ “...I’ll be there in ten minutes.” _

True to his word, the man was there, dressed in black with a cap covering his head. 

And boy, was he angry. 

He barely looked at Peter as they walked out of the police station and they drove in complete silence for five minutes before Peter couldn't take it anymore and started to ramble:

“OK, look, i’m sorry I lied to you about there being alcohol at the party, but you should know, that i didn't drink at all. I was being responsible. I even asked the cops to do a test that will prove that I'm sober, but they refused!”

Tony just shot him a look, like he couldn't believe what Peter was saying, “Kid, I can smell the alcohol in your breath, the cops probably could too. Of course they weren't going to waste their time on a test.”

“But I didn't drink alcohol!”

“What did you drink?”

“A cup of sprite, which was kept on a table of non-alcoholic drinks.”

Tony mulled it over for a second, “Did it taste normal?”

“No, honestly it was a bit weird.”

“Tasted like cough syrup?”

“Yes, actually.”

“Burned your throat when you drank it?”

“...Yes.”

“You drank alcohol.” Tony confirmed, looking angrier than before.

Peter sputtered, “If-If I drank alcohol shouldn't I feel drunk? My tolerance can't be that high!”

“Your tolerance? You mean your ‘I need to eat five meals a day to stay healthy because my body burns calories like its paper’ metabolism wouldn't affect your tolerance level?”

“...Oh my God, I drank alcohol.”

Tony rolled his eyes, exasperated over Peter’s stupidity.

“Call your aunt, let her know I'm dropping you home.” 

“Ok...I’m really sorry Mr.Stark, I should have been more careful.”

“Yeah, you should have.” Stark said, “So, I'm grounding you. No lab for a week.”

“Grounding me?” Peter repeated, “You already gave me a break from the lab.”

“Yes, but now I'm changing that. It’s not a break, you’re grounded. Take the punishment with shame.”

Peter pouted and sunk down into his seat, grumbling, “You can't ground me, you’re not my dad.”

Peter’s relationship with Mr.Stark was quite good and was growing stronger by the day. Mr.Stark was starting to slowly fill the gap Ben had left behind.

Peter felt quite guilty over that. He wasn't trying to replace Ben or Richard, but he just naturally gravitated towards Mr.Stark, and so far, the older man didn't seem to mind. He coddled the kid, constantly encouraged his new ideas and inventions, cheers him up when they fail. He showed genuine interest in Peter’s hobbies and often encouraged him to be more social. Not to mention the, not as frequent but still pretty special, Iron Man and Spider Man tag team they had created. Peter had learned so much from the man, he had already become a more capable superhero. 

All those emotions made Peter a bit...worried. He didn't want to freak the man out by implying that Peter saw him as a paternal figure. So he kept it to himself and denied it out loud.   


Tony gave him a long, silent look before saying, “You’re right, I'm not, but I still care about you kid.”

Peter grunted, “...Yeah, I know.” he wasn't really sure what he should say, “Good Dad line though.”

He heard the man chuckle before he pulled over in front of Peter’s house. 

“Thanks for everything Mr.Stark.” Peter said, as he got out of the car, “Guess I'll see you in a week?”

Mr.Stark nodded, “It works for the best, i’m going out of town next week.”

“Oh. What for?”

“Some boring meeting thing.” Mr.Stark said, dismissively, “You be good while I'm gone.”

Peter rolled his eyes, “I’m not a kid, Mr.Stark.”

“Whatever you say, Pete.”


	9. Chapter 9

Tony might have told Peter a small, white lie. It wasn't a boring meeting that he was going to, no, it was a sort of cleansing. There were still remnants of dangerous gangs and families out there, people who were still terrorizing the innocent and wreaking havoc. Over the years, Tony had done good work at eradicating them, getting some of the most dangerous groups off the streets, but there were still some people left behind that he needed to deal with. Along with the help of Pepper Potts, who is one of the most powerful and feared business women out there (anyone would be a fool to try and hurt her) as well as James Rhodes, the owner of a high class security company (also dealing with hit-men and assassins on the side), Tony would rain terror. 

During times like these, he would put on the Iron Man armor and demolish the remaining people, but while he did that, word spreads. Heavy unease settles over the other gangs and criminals, so they all try to hunt down any leverage, any advantage they can get over Iron Man.

Unfortunately for them, Tony takes the safety and security of his employees very seriously. During these one week ‘meetings’, two floors of the tower open up, revealing countless rooms personally styles for each employee as well as massive kitchens and entertainment systems. They all stay there for a week, not leaving, but having the world at their fingertips so that they don't feel trapped. They understand why they are asked to stay inside for the week, besides, they can have and do whatever they want (as long as it isn't harmful) and the tab is paid by Tony? Well, they didn't want to say no to that. 

But there was one person who was unaccounted for, and that was Peter.

Tony knew he couldn't ask a kid to move into the Stark Tower for a week and stay with a bunch of strangers (plus he would have to miss a week of school). Not to mention, Peter didn't know this side of Tony’s life and it wasn't a conversation he wanted to have. He needed to come up with a plan to keep Peter safe without the kid knowing it was happening. So, Tony did the next best thing. 

He hired a bunch of professional bodyguards to trail Peter for the week, make sure he’s safe and get rid of anybody who might try and hurt the kid. They were incredibly skilled and ruthless, so Tony knew Peter would be alright. He sent the kid a text before he left, informing him that he would not be in contact until he was back from his business meeting. Peter just wished him good luck with a smiley face. 

Seven days later, Tony was finally back. He was tired and exhausted, his body bruised and in pain. It was a hard couple of days, the people he was fighting were a lot stronger than he had assumed, but Iron Man managed to take down three more gangs and...disposed of their leaders. He wasn't afraid to get his hands dirty. 

He immediately got in touch with the people he had assigned to keep Peter safe and let out a sigh of relief when they replied back positively. No one had come after the boy. Tony couldn't describe the happiness he felt at that. He already knew the pain of losing someone over gang wars, he didn't want to relive it. 

He informed all his employees that he was back and they were allowed to leave the next morning. He quickly texted Peter a simple hello, before he shut off his phone and crashed in his bed.

He wasn't expecting Peter to barge into the tower the next day, angrier than he had ever seen him.

~~~~~

“Hello Pete.” Mr.Stark said, raising an eyebrow. Peter had stormed into his office, panting, red in the face, “It’s...eight in the morning. Didn't realize you were so eager to get back. I take it your break was good?”

“No!” Peter snapped, getting his breathing under control. Once he saw the text from today that morning, he got dressed in record speed and all but ran to the tower, “It sucked! Because of you!” he pointed at Stark before he sat down, plopping down on the chair in front of the desk. An expression that looked like fear crossed Tony’s face. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, those damn people in their disguises always following me around!” Peter explained frustrated, “Everywhere I go, my spider-sense alerts me that I'm being followed. I look around and sure enough, there were people tailing me. But they weren't doing anything, they were just hanging out in regular clothes, trying to pass of as civilians, but I knew, I could tell they were dangerous but I could tell they weren't there to kill me, but that didn't really make me feel any better. Do you know what it’s like? To know you’re being followed by dangerous people? I could never even catch them or talk to them! They had like a sixth sense where they just knew I was going to chase them so they would disappear, only to come back later and we would do the whole thing again. The only reason I know it’s you who's behind this, is because a card fell out of a guys pocket and it said ‘Rhodey Industries’ on it, and, oh, where have I heard that name before? That’s right! The security officers in this building are employed from Rhodey Industries too. So, i’m assuming you were behind these goons following me!”   
Peter took a deep breath before he continued, “You know, I was hanging out with MJ the other day and she noticed that we were being followed and it completely freaked her out. Everywhere we went, they kept following her and that sort of fear, especially for a teenage girl, is horrible! I tried to convince her to leave on her own because I knew they were following me but I couldn't tell her that! God, she practically begged me to not leave her alone while she called the police, which was fun, because of course when they showed up and looked around, they couldn't find anybody. We got lucky that the police officer was nice guy and dropped her home.  
 But nothing comes close to how shitty the nights were, oh no. I try and go to sleep but I can't because every single night your goons are outside, peering into my house and my Spider-sense is going haywire! I try to shut it up, I try to convince myself that I'm safe, but it doesn't work, my brain just keeps going: “Look out!”, “Danger!”, “Bad people!” and that keeps me up at night, so I haven't been able to get a proper night's rest in a whole week!” 

Peter let out a loud sigh before he leaned forward, ruffling his own hair. Adrenaline pumped through his veins, his frustration apparent, “I can't- I cant take this anymore Mr.Stark! I feel like i’m going insane!” 

Stark, through all of Peter’s rambling was thankfully silent but spoke up then, “Shit, Pete, It’s OK, just take a deep breath for me.” but Peter ignored him. He sat up straight again, leveling Stark with a defiant look, “I saw Ms.Potts the other day.” he said, “She was out and about, getting herself coffee and I could sense that she didn't have anyone following her. Your own CEO and you didn't get people stalking her! So why me, specifically? What’s going on?”

Stark put his hands up in surrender, lowering the tone of his voice, “I’ll explain everything to you, OK? But I need you to calm down first.” This time, Peter complied. He huffed in annoyance, but he did take a few deep breaths and got his heart rate under control.

“Jesus kid,” Stark said, “hearing you talk that fast got me breathless. You calmed down?”

Peter nodded, “Yeah, I would say i'm sorry for snapping at you but i'm not really.”

“It’s fine,” Tony said, “You do deserve an explanation.”

The man took a deep breath before he started: “You’re right, I did hire those people to look after you and i’m sorry, I completely forgot about your Spidey-sense. They were told to keep their distance and watch you from afar which is why they ran away every time you tried to catch them." he let out a huff, "You see, Pete...Iron Man has a lot of enemies, bad people who are not afraid to use the ones I care about as leverage against me. We’ve managed to keep your information entirely confidential so far, but I wasn't ready to take any chances, not again. So, I hired those guards to look after you, keep you safe.”

Peter nodded, “Ok...But why didn't Pepper have one?”

“Ms.Potts can take care of herself.”

“I can take care of myself too, Mr.Stark or should I remind you that I am Spider-man?”

“Doesn't matter.” Tony said, firmly, “I made the mistake of letting my guard down once, I am not doing that again.”

Peter remained quiet for a second, contemplating his next words before he finally asked: “What do you mean? What happened before?”

Tony looked up at him, that same hesitation in his eyes. He stayed silent for a minute before he nodded his head, almost like he convinced himself of something. So he said:

“I had a son.”

“...Oh.” Peter said, quietly, “I’m sorry.”

“It’s not like that- Well, i don't really know.” Tony said, “His mother was killed and to keep him safe, I had to send him away. New identity and a new life, with no affiliation to me whatsoever. My father handled all of the relocation issues, so I don't even know who or where he is. I don't even know if he’s still alive.” Tony paused for a second to clear his throat, clearly finding it difficult, “I guess, that’s why i’m overprotective of you. I already lost one kid, I can't lose another.”

  A pregnant silence fell over them. 

“I…” Peter said, “I don't know what to say...I love you Mr.Stark, and I'm grateful.”

Tony smiled, “Love you too, Pete.”

“But maybe ease up on the helicopter parenting please?”

That got a chuckle out of the older man, “Sure thing kid. Just promise me you’ll keep an extra eye out.”

“I promise.” Peter said, before he changed the subject, “What, uh, What was his name?”

“Hmm?”

“Your son. What was his name? What was he like?”

“Oh, well I had to send him away when he was one so I don’t really know what he’s like,” Tony admitted, “But his name was Caleb.”

Peter raised his eyebrows, the name being all too familiar with him. But he didn't think much of it, it was a common name.

“I’m sure you miss him.” he said, sympathetically. 

“Of course I do,” Tony said, sweetly, “I miss him everyday… My little Bambino.”

Peter suddenly got quiet. The name was a coincidence enough, but the pet name as well? He felt his heartbeat elevate. 

“So…” Peter said, trying not to sound nervous, “That day where we first started fighting crime together, that was…?”

Tony nodded, “Caleb’s birthday. The day I lost him.”

Caleb's birthday...the day Tony sent him away...was the exact same day that Peter got the recurring dream of a man calling him Caleb, his Bambino, and telling him how much he loved him...

“Pete?” Tony asked, a bit concerned, “You OK? You look a bit pale.”

Peter looked up at the man, his expression frozen, mouth open, “...Yeah. It’s just a lot to take in.”

“It’s not your burden, Kid.”

“I know, I know, but still.” His heart was racing, his adrenaline kicking in. He didn't even realize that he was standing up until he heard the screech of the chair against the tiled floor, “I’m gonna go.” he announced, his voice sounding very fake.

“OK?” Tony said, confused at Peters abrupt behavior, which made the younger boy realize he needed to calm down.

“Yeah, uh, I’m missing school right now but we have decathlon practice and MJ promised to mount my head on a spike if i’m late. I laughed like it was a joke but she just stared blankly at me and now i’m not so sure.”

Tony opened and closed his mouth like a fish, furrowing his brow, “I’m not sure about your taste in friends.”

Peter shrugged, “They keep my life exciting.”

“Like you need anymore of that.” Tony teased.

“...You have no idea.” Peter agreed.

~~~~~

“Welcome home, Honey.” May called out from the kitchen, “You’re just in time, dinner is almost ready.”

Peter walked towards her voice, his mind still reeling. May smiled at him as he entered the kitchen, untying her apron. “Woo.” she sighed, “Never thought making Spaghetti would take that much out of me. Get yourself washed up Pete.”

Peter didn't reply, simply staring at May.

“Honey?” May called out, walking towards him. She caressed his cheeks, a thumb swiping over his dark circles, “Is everything OK? Did you talk to Stark?”

“Yeah, I did.” Peter finally said, leaning into the warmth of May’s hand. She still easily picked out his troubled expression. 

“Peter. What’s wrong? Talk to me, you can tell me anything.”

He looked up, gazing into the worried gaze of his Aunt and he came out with it:

“Am I adopted?”

May’s expression dropped and her hand left his face, clearly shocked.

“May.” Peter called out, firmly, “It’s OK, I still love you and you’re still my Aunt,” he consoled, “But please just tell me the truth?”

She slowly nodded, her expression a mix between sad and guilty, “Yes, Sweetheart, you are adopted.”

Peter nodded as well, his suspicion confirmed.

“How did you find out?” she asked, her voice soft.

“It's a long story.” Peter said, “...I think Tony Stark is my father.”


	10. Chapter 10

May watched as Peter paced around the living room, working himself up to a panic.

“Sweetheart,” she said, trying to calm him down, “Why don't you sit down, we can talk through this.”

Peter looked at her with wide eyes before nodding and sitting himself down. 

“OK, OK.” she said, soothingly, “deep breaths. So, you think your father is Tony Stark.”

Peter nodded again.

“Do you want to talk to him about it?”

“God no.”

“Peter!”

Her nephew raised his eyebrows, challenging her, “What am I going to tell him, May? That I think I'm his Son because of a  _ dream _ ?” he folded his arms and huffed, “He’s not going to believe me, that’s not proof. Especially if I come out and say it after he told me about his son. It's too fake.”

“With what you’ve told me about him, I don't think Tony will call you a liar.” May said, “Besides, if there is a possibility, shouldn't he know?”

“Exactly.” Peter said, “That’s another reason why I shouldn't tell him, I can't give him false hope.”

“Peter…” May tutted.

“No, May, I can't do that to him.” Peter had resolve in his eyes, “What if I'm not his son and I get his hopes up? It would crush him.”

“So, you’re just never going to tell him?”

“No, I’m going to do a DNA test.” Peter said, “That way, if I am his kid, there will be proof about it, and if I'm not we can just never talk about it.”

“Uh huh…” May said, “And how are you going to ask him for his DNA?”

“I’m sure I'll find something in his lab.”

Turns out that was easier said than done. Apparently, Stark keeps his lab in pristine condition, with robot vacuums that sterilized the place every hour, to the point where Peter couldn't even nab a single hair. 

Peter came home the next day from the internship fairly early, announcing that he wasn't going anymore.

“I can't, it’s too weird.” he explained, “I need to get proof, not just for him, but for me too. Unless I do, I can't focus!”

May put her hands on her hips, “How are you planning on getting his DNA if you’re not there?”

“I- I don't know, i’ll think of something. Seems a bit weird to do it without his knowledge anyway.” 

“Well, what did you tell him about leaving?”

“Told him I had exams and I needed to take time off. Which isn't technically a lie.”

“...Your exams are next month.”

“Well he doesn't know that!”

~~~~~

Peter was avoiding Tony. The man was ninety nine percent sure.

The kid walked in one day, told Tony that he had exams and that he wanted a break from interning. Now, Tony knew the kids schedule and his exams were a month away. Besides, he knew how smart Peter was. The school could give him an exam about all the things they learned during the whole year tomorrow and he would do great.

But Tony didn't press him. Peter probably had his reasons. 

However, once it hit a week with no contact whatsoever, when it used to take effort to get Peter out of the lab, it started to raise alarm bells in Tony’s head.

Did he freak the kid out by mentioning his past? About Caleb?

Or maybe he crossed the line with the bodyguards and he hadn't realized how severe the damage truly was.

“Tones,” Rhodey said, irritated by his friends panicking, “If you’re so worried, just talk to the kid.”

“I’ve tried!” Tony said, “I texted him asking how he was yesterday and he still hasn't replied!”

“Call him!”

“You clearly don't know anything about teenagers if you think calling is a good idea, Rhodey.”

But once it hit three weeks, Tony threw in the towel and called the kid. Only to have it go to voicemail. Peter would text back, apologizing for missing his calls, telling him numerous excuses.

Now Tony was a hundred percent sure that Peter was avoiding him. 

He missed the kid immensely. He didn't realize how much he had looked forward to those internship sessions until they stopped. Peter was always such a positive presence in his life, like a ray of sunshine that he waited to arrive the next day. 

God. He needed to talk to the kid.

He tried another call or two before he decided that yes, he was going to pop by and visit the Parkers. He worried that he was crossing a line with that, but it had been three weeks, going on four that he had been completely ghosted by the boy, aside from a ‘hi’ or ‘good morning’ here or there. He just wanted to make sure his mentee was safe. With his finest suit, trying to not look panicked, he rang the bell for the Parker residence. 

May Parker opened the door, looking him up and down.

“Can I help you?” she asked, reminding Tony that she didn't know who he was.

“...Hi.” Tony said, offering his hand for her to shake, which she did, “I’m Tony Stark.”

“Oh!” she said, surprised, “Wait, how do I know it’s really you?”

“...Well, the fact that i'm here because I wanted to talk to your nephew should be proof enough but I got some cookies,” he lifted up the bag in his hands, “to thank you for the  _ lovely  _ cake you sent me.”

“Oh,” May said, blushing as she accepted the bag, “well, thank you. Would you like to come in?”

Tony accepted and for the first time in months, was in Peter Parker's home. 

He looked around the small apartment as he sat on the living room couch. It might not be the most lavish of places, but boy, did it feel loved. There were pictures of Peter everywhere, all over the walls and on the shelves. His books and pencils were scattered on the table in front of him which made Tony smirk. The kid had a bad habit of not being tidy, even in the lab. 

He glanced at the pictures again and noticed people he didn't recognize. In one picture was May and another man, he assumed was the late Ben Parker. In another one was a couple he had never seen before. 

“Is that…” Tony asked, as May handed him a glass of water and sat down beside him, “Peter’s parents?”

She glanced at the picture and nodded, “Yes. They passed away when Peter was five. A terrible car accident. After that he was passed onto us but then Ben died a few years ago so now...it's just me and Peter.”

“I’m sorry.” Tony said, sympathizing. He could understand the kind of pain they had gone through.

May nodded, acknowledging his condolences. A strange expression crossed her face before she said: “It’s harder for Peter than it is for me. He’s adopted, you know? So he’s lost his birth parents, then Mary and Richard and then Ben. Someone so young shouldn't experience so much pain. That’s why I'm grateful for you.”

“Me?’

“Yes.” she said, with a smile, “I think the internship had been really good for him. He got to spend time with a...a father figure, in a way.”

Tony mulled over that, taking a sip of water to mask the awkwardness, “That’s good to hear,” he finally said, “I didn't know he was adopted.”

May shrugged, “He found out quite recently too. Took it quite well though.”

A weird silence passed over them before May spoke up: “So, what brings you here?”

Right. He had forgotten, “Is Peter OK? He’s been gone for three weeks and I've heard nothing from him.”

“Oh.” May said, "That's very kind of you. You don't have to worry about Peter, he’s fine. Just a bit stressed about stuff is all. He hardly talks to me when he comes back from school. He just locks himself in his room and dives his nose into the books.”

“Oh.” Tony said, feeling a bit embarrassed. Guess it was just a regular teenage issue and had nothing to do with him, “That’s good to hear.”

May smiled at him, “He had missed you though.”

“Really?”

“Of course. He’s so used to going to your tower it's kind of become instinct to him. One time he walked right out of the house and to the subway before he remembered that he was taking a break. And I can tell that he’s really bored. Guess when you have an intern at Stark Industries, everything else pales in comparison.”

Tony chuckled at that, finishing his glass of water. He refused May’s offer for more as he stood up, straightening his suit.

“Well, I should probably get going.”

“So soon?” May asked, getting up as well, “Why don’t you stay for a bit longer? Peter's on his way home, i’m sure he’d be happy to see you. And with your persuasion maybe he can take a break from all the studying he’s doing. I swear the kids gonna rot his brain out.”

“...I don't know.”

“I’ll show you embarrassing baby pictures of him you can use as blackmail.”

“Deal.”

By the time Peter got back home, May and Tony were crying with laughter, the photo-book was a national treasure. 

“Mr.Stark?” Peter squeaked as he reached the living room, clearly surprised.

“Hey Pete!” Tony said, a massive grin on his face, “Listen, is it alright if I get this picture blown up and framed?” He held up a photo of baby Peter covered head to toe in chocolate syrup with a blank expression on his face that perfectly captured the essence of giving up and regret.

“What! May!” Peter yelled, running over to them to try and snatch the photo from his hand, which he failed, “I can't believe you!”

“What? It’s funny!” May snorted, watching as the two men wrestled for the picture, “Oh, Tony, this one is good too.”

She lifted the book up to show another photo, but Peter quickly grabbed the book and leaped upwards, sticking himself to the ceiling. 

“Peter!” May chastised, “No ceiling walking, we had a rule!”

“The rule changed when you decided to show my mentor baby pictures!” Peter yelled back, crawling across the wall and sitting in the corner, hissing.

“What are you, five?” May said, grabbing a broom.

“What are you, five?” Peter repeated back in a mocking tone, before he yelped loudly as May started to swat him. 

Tony laughed as the kid leaped down, quickly snatching away the book while he was distracted. Peter whined in frustration and Tony simply stuck his tongue out in retaliation, like the mature adult he is. 

“This is abuse,” Peter said, “This is child abuse, i’m reporting you both.”

May shushed him, smacking him with the broom again softly, “Oh, you’re so dramatic.”

“Who do you think I got it from?” Peter said, the comment directed towards his Aunt but for whatever reason, once he said that, a silence set over the Parker's and May gave Tony a look.

“...Mr.Stark, would you like to stay for dinner?”

“What?” Tony asked, “May!” Peter hissed.

The woman simply shrugged, “He came all the way here just to check up on you Peter! The least we can do is feed the man.”

“Oh, it’s really no problem.” Tony said, dismissively, “My chef really needs to earn his keep.”

“... Then maybe you should take us out for dinner.”

“May!” Peter squealed again, blushing and embarrassed.

Tony simply laughed, both at his mentees embarrassment and May’s outspoken attitude, which he loved, “Sounds like a plan. What do you think, kid?”

Peter looked at him before he sighed loudly, “The concept of free will doesn't exist when you both have made up your minds.”

“Pretty much.” May said, grabbing her purse before she looped her arm through Tony’s directing him towards the door, “And while we eat I can fill you up on Peter’s embarrassing stories.”

“May, don't you dare!”

~~~~~

Peter collapsed on the couch with a sigh, emotionally exhausted. Dinner consisted of Tony and May constantly making fun of him and swapping stories of him being stupid, showing no remorse for the poor boy.

At Least the food was good. They ate at the tower and Peter is convinced Tony’s private chef is actually an angel in disguise. No human can make food as amazing as that. 

 “You OK?” May asked as she walked to the kitchen, glancing at her nephew as she continued to clean up the dishes.

“No thanks to you!” Peter said, “What was up with inviting him, May? Don’t you remember me wanting to avoid him?”

“Avoiding the man was getting you nowhere Pete, and I can tell that you miss him.” May said, “Be honest, didn't you enjoy today?”

Peter was about to retaliate, but he didn't. Aside from the merciless teasing, the two adults also shared stories of Peter’s accomplishments and how proud they were for him being Spider-man (except for that one part where Tony and May both realized how reckless he was when it came to injuries which led to a long, long discussion). It actually felt like he had a whole family again. And if Tony really was his father...well there was something bittersweet about watching him gush about his Son so proudly, as well as hear the childhood stories he couldn't be there for. 

“...Yeah, it was fun.”

“See? Aunt May gets shit done. Also, you’re not gonna believe how lucky you are...”

Peter raised an eyebrow and turned around to see Aunt May, holding an empty glass in her hand.

“...What am I looking at?” Peter asked.

“DNA.”

It took him a second before his mouth dropped open, pushing himself off the sofa, “You...You mean that’s…”

May nodded, “This is it.”

Peter’s heart was pounding, “OK then. Let’s do this.”


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so excited!! Things are getting kicked into high gear.  
> Again, thank you all for your amazing support! It makes me so happy that this story means so much to you all. I read every single comment, and while I can't respond to all of them, each and every one of them makes me so happy.

“...Tony”

“Mmm?”

“Tony.”

“...Whaaaat?”

“Caleb’s crying again.”

Tony pried one eye open with great difficulty, really not wanting to be awake.

“Tonyyyyy.” Emma whined, swatting at him with her eyes closed.

“What do you want me to do about it. He’s probably hungry.”

“No, he’s not. I just fed him.”

Tony groaned, “Then what’s the problem?”

“I don't know!” Emma said, frustrated, “I’ve checked on him the last three times, now you go.”

“But- I- ugh.” Tony racked his brain to come up with an excuse, any excuse to not leave the bed. But he couldn't find any.

He cursed his brilliant IQ for being so dumb as he ripped off the covers and trudged out of bed. The faster he calms Caleb down, the sooner he gets to sleep. 

He winced as he opened the door to his Sons room, a piercing cry cutting through the air.

“Hey buddy.” he said, soothingly as he made his way to the crib. Caleb was standing up, leaning against the bars of his bed as he raised his hands up towards his father, fat tears pouring down his cheeks.

Tony cooed and picked up his boy, “What’s wrong, huh? I know you're not hungry,” he checked the diaper, “and your clean too. You gotta help me out here bud, mom and dad need their sleep.”

Thankfully, the baby gradually stopped crying. There were still a few sniffles and tears, but Caleb seemed to calm down, plopping his head against Tony’s shoulder, his hands gripping his father tightly. Tony paced the room for awhile, rocking his son slowly. If Caleb fell asleep, he could just put him back in his crib and go to bed. Ten minutes passed and Tony was sure his boy was sleeping. Quickly and quietly, he made his way back to the crib and slowly dropped Caleb onto his soft cushions. But once that happened, Caleb immediately woke up, his eyes snapping open only to see his father no longer holding him and he started to cry again. 

Tony groaned out, frustrated, “Come on! You were doing so good!”

Caleb’s cries increased, his chubby arms reaching up for Tony again.

With a sigh, the older man reached in and picked the baby up again and found that Caleb stopped crying once he was in his arms. 

Raising an eyebrow, Tony detached the kid from him and made a show that he was putting Caleb back into the crib, which immediately had his son fussing and crying. 

He pulled him back onto his chest. The crying stopped.

Pulled him away and towards the crib. Crying started again.

“Aw, buddy.” Tony cooed, settling Caleb in his arms, “Did you just want dad to cuddle you?”

Caleb grunted, his crying stopped as he got comfortable in his father's arms. 

“OK then. But don’t get too cozy, this is just a one time thing.” With that, Tony walked out of the room and back to his own.

Emma stirred once he entered their bedroom, “-S he OK?”

“Yeah,” Tony said, “Just a bit cranky. Little man wanted to be with me.”

With a hum of approval, Emma helped pull back the covers as Tony got in bed, Caleb still in his arms. He lied down, getting comfortable, adjusting his hold on Caleb, making the baby lie on his chest. Emma pulled the covers over them, stroking a hand through Caleb’s hair.

The baby was about to fall asleep as Tony soothingly stroked his back. Sucking his thumb, his small eyelids started to droop until finally, finally, he was asleep.

“Have you ever seen anything so precious?” Emma asked, looking at Caleb lovingly.

But Tony didn't reply. He too was asleep. There was something comforting about having his son in his arms, and the love of his life next to him that just allowed him to take a break. He had the best sleep ever that night, and he woke up to the feeling of hands on his face. He opened his eyes and smiled at Caleb leaning over him, a giant grin on the baby’s face, his features illuminated by the sunlight and it was the most beautiful thing he had seen. 

Tony pulled Caleb in, kissing him on his cheek, and his lovely nose, over his gorgeous brown eyes. He soaked in his baby’s features, because for some reason, deep down, he felt like he would lose it.   
Caleb giggled and Tony tried his damnedest to imprint that laugh to memory. He would never hear it again. 

What? Why would he never hear it again? Caleb is here, now and he would be forever.

But he knew that wasn't true. 

How? What were these thoughts? Where were they coming from?

As he was distracted, Caleb suddenly vanished. 

Tony looked down at his empty arms and panicked, “Caleb!?” he screamed, rushing out of bed and running out of his room, “Caleb!”

He ran towards his sons room and bust open the door, only to find it empty.

He was about to leave when he felt something drip onto his head.

He brought a hand up to swipe at whatever it was and when he looked at his fingers, he found them stained with blood. 

Everything suddenly went quiet as Tony looked up at the ceiling.

Emma’s body was there, her bloody figure stuck to the top.

“Tony…” she groaned out, coughing up blood, “Why? Why did this happen to us? What did you do?”

“I...I didn't-” Tony teared up, choking, “I didn't-”

“It’s your fault.” Emma said, “Caleb is gone, because of you.” More blood poured on top of Tony’s head. He sprinted out of the room, feeling the need to vomit. 

He ran and ran across the hallway but for whatever reason, it wasn't ending. The hallway kept increasing, going on and on to the point where Tony was sure he wasn't moving anymore. Suddenly, the floor beneath him broke apart and he fell down a long, dark void. Tony screamed as he spiraled in the air before he finally made impact. The wind was knocked out of his lungs as he fell onto the concrete of a building. Between heavy gasps and tears, Tony picked himself back up. He was on a tower, a large building. It felt familiar to him, like it had happened a while ago. He felt sad, and gut wrenching pain but he also felt loved and happy at the same time. The view was beautiful as it looked over a city, a city that he knew of.

He was torn away from the view when he heard a gurgling noise behind him.

Tony swiftly turned around and saw Caleb, his baby, sitting just behind him.

“Caleb!” Tony exclaimed, rushing towards the child and picking him up. He cried as he hugged his son, his whole body feeling numb.

However, he noticed that the baby in his arms was getting heavy. Too heavy. And he was...growing. He watched as Caleb’s arms and legs extended, growing bigger right in front of his eyes. Finally, he seemed to stop. Caleb was now his height, his head bent down, still on Tony’s shoulder.

“...Caleb?” Tony called out, grasping his sons shoulders, pushing him away slightly. 

The boy lifted his head and Tony gasped.

“Peter?”

Tony shot upright in his bed, breathing heavy, his body sweating profusely. His heart was beating at a rapid pace and it took him a good few minutes to get it under control. 

He dropped his head in his hands, brushing away the tears as he reminded himself that it was just another nightmare and that he was safe. 

Pushing off the damp sheets, Tony got out of bed and went straight into the shower. He figured a cold bath would help him clear his head and also wash the stink off of him. 

As the cold water rained down on him, he processed the nightmare.

It wasn't the first time and probably won't be the last. He was used to seeing Emma and Caleb in his dreams and for those precious moments, he was happy. He wished he could grab onto it, hold it tightly, but everytime he woke up, the images would disappear and all he would be left with was a sick feeling in his heart. Deep down, he knew it wasn't real but watching them felt like he was reliving the happiest moments of his life. 

Until it went to shit, as it always does. 

The guilt of the incident still ate him alive. And that definitely will never go away.

He got out of the shower, still naked and wet (benefit of living alone) before he immediately walked to the kitchen, wanting a coffee.

As he reached it, his eyes glanced at the counter and it put a smile on his face. On it was the picture of baby Peter he managed to snag. Dinner last night was surprisingly fun. Tony couldn't remember the last time he had a proper meal with somebody. 

He got started on the coffee machine and waited for it to be done. He closed his eyes and leaned against the counter, ignoring the cold feeling against his skin. Why did Peter appear in his nightmare? That had never happened before and it made Tony feel uneasy.

Well, whatever. Dreams are never as serious as people make them out to be anyway.

He brushed aside those thoughts and simply thought back to the better parts of his dream. He remembered that night fondly, loving the fact that Caleb just wanted to be with his dad.

And to wake up the next morning to that face.

That adorable and lovely...face.

His Caleb’s face…

Tony’s eyes snapped open, wide and startles before he reached for Peter’s photo, quickly snatching it off the counter. 

His heart rate increased as he looked at the picture, memorizing every detail. He was sure of it, without a doubt. Maybe yesterday he was too strung up and worried about Peter. Maybe he wasn't as attentive as he used to be. Maybe it was because he had forgotten his sons features after 15 years but after that dream, there was no doubt about it.

The baby in the picture was Caleb.

~~~~~

_“Tony, Tones. Calm down. Now what are you trying to tell me?_ ” Rhodey asked.

“Peter, Rhodes. I think Peter might be my son.”

_ “I didn't know that was new information.” _

Tony huffed in annoyance, “Not like that Rhodey! I think he’s my actual son, I think he’s Caleb!”

That made Rhodey silent and Tony could only hear a gasp over the phone.

_ “What- How- What? Are you sure?” _

“No, I'm not sure!” Tony snapped, running a hand through his hair, “Just listen-”

Once he was done explaining the dream as well as the picture, Rhodey spoke up:

_ “Ok then, you think Peter is your kid. What do you want to do?” _

“I- I need proof.”

_ “DNA test, then.” _

“No.” Tony said, firmly, “I need to find Caleb’s files.”

_ “Files?” _

“Yes,” Tony tried to calm down his breathing. Things were getting too real. The minute he made the connection, he called Rhodey, his oldest friend. They had met shortly after the ‘incident’ and got along amazingly well. He was the only person who knew about his Son.

“Howard was responsible for relocating Caleb, and I know, I  _ know _ , he had files about his new identity. Problem is, I don't know where it is.”

_ “And you’re sure he had files?” _

“The man told me himself.”

_“Ok then,”_ Rhodey said, _“How are you planning on finding it?”_

Tony took a deep breath, “I need you and your crew to go to the house and tear it apart. Piece by piece. Do not let a single inch of ground go undetected. The man hid it somewhere and I am pretty sure it’s in that house. Destroy his and Caleb's room first, then move to the rest of the house. And I mean destroy, Rhodes. OK? I’m talking slash open the sofas and beds, tear apart every book, rip out the floorboards. I want those files found.”

_ “Tony, that’s your home.” _

“And no one has lived in it for fifteen years I can afford to move on.”

_ “...Fine.” _

“I’ll send over some of my people too if you need extra hands. I want this over by  _ today _ , Rhodey.”

_ “I’ll do my best Tones...Why not a DNA test again? Seems like much less work.” _

“No I can't, I-” Tony sighed in frustration, “I can't really explain it, OK? Those tests can go wrong, there's always room for errors, but not Howard. The man wouldn't be caught dead making a mistake. If I see those files, i’ll know for sure.”

_“Alright then, consider it done._ ” a pause, _“Are you sure about this Tones?”_

“Yes.” Tony said, “Yeah, I am.”

_ “Fine. But Tony?” _

“What?”

_ “...Don't get your hopes up.” _

With that he hung up. With a loud sigh, Tony collapsed onto the couch, a migraine making itself apparent.

He didn't know what to think. He didn't know what to feel. 

Could Peter possibly be his Son? His Caleb? What would he do if he was? Should he tell the boy? He knew that they had a father-son relationship, or at least, it was beyond the mentor mentee one anyway. He knew he had to tell the kid, if it was true, but he was worried about how he would take it. 

Tony shook his head, ridding himself of those thoughts. There's no point in speculating anything until he knew for sure.  

 Rhodey was right though, he couldn't get his hopes up. The man told him that it was possible that Tony’s brain replaced his baby with baby Peter in his dream, like a subconscious move, and that dreams are not proof of anything, which Tony begrudgingly agreed with.

 The chances of them actually finding the files were really, really low. Tony tried. God, he tried over and over to find the damn things but to no avail. He scoured the internet, looking at every crack and corner but nothing, which made him pretty sure that the files were a physical thing and not digital. He begged his father again and again to hand it over, but the man refused. Once he died, Tony ripped the place apart but he had no luck. It was killing him inside and ruining his life, so he just gave up. Plus, it was too painful for him to go back to that house, so he simply locked it up and left it. Now the topic was back and he was just as motivated as he once was all those years ago. Maybe Rhodey would be luckier. But, just in case, Tony started to consider other possible locations his father could have hid the files. And if worse comes to worse, he would do a DNA test. But he knew that his heart would only be sated if he saw Howard confirming it.

His heart was still pounding and racing. This was the first time in fifteen years where he felt a semblance of hope, that he mind find his son again.

~~~~~

A week had passed and no sign of anything.

True to demand, Rhodey and the team went back to the old house and tore it to shreds. Not one plank was left uprooted, not one inch of the house was left unchecked. They even dug into the Earth, for about several feet and found nothing. 

They then checked out Howard's personal office, their vacation homes all over the globe and even the houses of every single one of their employees, present or otherwise. 

Still nothing and it was killing him inside.

He couldn't sleep, he barely ate, the tension and heartache he felt was too much. He cursed his father for even revealing that he had files of Caleb. If he didn't know it existed, he wouldn't be driving himself insane.    
Rhodey realized that Tony was slowly losing himself, so he cut off all communication three days ago.

_ “If I find anything, I will tell you.” _ he promised, over the phone,  _ “But you’re too close to this. We can find new locations to search for ourselves.” _

But finally, finally, Rhodey bust into Tony's lab with what might be the files. 

The man was carrying a safe. It was a fairly big metal box (but not so big that Rhodey couldn't carry it) with a numbered keypad in the front. He dumped it onto Tony’s desk, making the whole thing rattle, some of his tools falling off from the impact.   
“We found this,” Rhodey said, panting slightly, “Buried a few feet below Emma’s grave.”

“Emma’s?” Tony asked, confused. Not what he expected.

“Yeah, took my team the last three days to find it. Did you know she’s buried in a random forest somewhere in India?”

“...That’s not possible.” Tony said, eyebrows furrowed, “We...We buried her close to home.”

“No, we dug up all the coffins to search for the files, that's when we noticed that hers was empty. Guessing Howard had something to do with that too.”

Tony sighed heavily, for Howard to relocate Emma’s body to another continent in the middle of a jungle and hide the files there...he really wanted Caleb’s identity to be a secret, “The old man really went all out.”

Rhodey nodded, “Yeah, was a real bitch to find. We scanned the box, no signs of explosives or anything, so it should be safe to open.”

“Yeah,” Tony agreed, reaching for his gauntlet, “Plus, the technology back then wasn't as advanced.”

“So, how do we open this? Seems like a four numbered pass-code. Maybe a birthday or-”

Rhodey was cut off by the deafening sound of Tony revving up the gauntlet and blasting the lock of the safe, smashing off the door as it fell onto the floor with a loud bang.

“...Or do that.” Rhodey said, shocked.

Ignoring the man, Tony brushed away the smoke before he peered inside the safe. His heart leapt in his throat as he reached into the box and pulled out a file.

There were papers tucked in a brown cover. This was it. On these papers, was the true identity of his Son. Even if it wasn't Peter, he would know, he would finally know who his son was and where he would be and if...if he was…

“I cant…” Tony said, his eyes filling with tears.

“Tony?”

“I can't- you do it.” he showed the papers towards his best friend, “If it's not Peter, if its some other boy and if...What if he’s not alive?”

“Tones…”

“Please, Rhodey, you read it. And if it's not Peter, do a background check and see if he’s alive and if he’s OK. I don't- I don't think I can handle it if he’s not.”

Rhodey agreed, placing a comforting hand on his friend's shoulder, “Breathe Tony, it’s gonna be okay.”

Tony nodded, jittering. This was it.

He watched as Rhodey opened the file, his eyes quickly skimming over the information. He remained as expressionless and stoic as always.

“Well?” Tony asked. Rhodey not saying anything was freaking him out. 

Rhodey paused before he said, “Peter Parker.”

Tony felt his heart skip a beat, “What?”

Rhodey flipped over the files in his hand and showed Tony the front page.

                                                                                                                   RELOCATION DETAILS

        NAME: PETER BENJAMIN PARKER

        BIRTHDAY: 10TH AUGUST 

        MOTHER: MARY PARKER

        FATHER: RICHARD PARKER

        OTHER GUARDIANS: MAY AND BENJAMIN PARKER

Alongside the information was a picture of a baby and it was the same baby in Peter’s photos. The file also droned on about his social security number, a fake birth certificate as well as a bank account that was to be given to him when he turned eighteen, filled with a truck load of money. 

 This was it. This was the truth.

Peter Parker was his son. He was his Caleb.

Tony felt tears pour down his cheeks. His heart clenched as he sat down on his chair. His hands gripped the papers so tightly they started to crinkle as he placed his forehead against the sheets, sobbing. Rhodey’s hand came up to rub his back soothingly, not saying anything. 

He was flooded with so many emotions he felt like his heart would burst from the overload.

Peter was his baby.

He had known his son for almost a year now.

He had spent time with his son.

He was a father figure to his son.

His son was his intern and he was so smart and so perfect.

His son was a superhero who spent his time looking after the little guy.

His son who Tony had looked after and loved for all these months. 

His son. His Caleb. His Peter.

_“Sir, Peter Parker is here to see you.”_ Jarvis suddenly spoke up.

Tony looked up at the ceiling, shocked, “W-what?” he choked out.

_ “The two of you had decided to start his internship again today.” _

“Oh shit.” Tony cursed, standing up again, “Fuck. Shit. What do I do?”

Rhodey looked just as panicked, “I don't know! Do you want to tell him?”

“Yes! No! I don't know! How do i casually bring that up? Hey Pete, guess what, I'm your dad!”

Jarvis spoke up, _“Should I let him in, Sir?”_

“Yes, let the kid in.” Tony said, rubbing the tears off his face.

“Tony!” Rhodey chastised, “Why did you let him in? You need to figure your shit out first!” 

“I need to see him, Rhodes.” Tony said, making his way to the bathroom. He turned on the sink and splashed his face with water, trying his best to look like he wasn't crying, “I need to see my son.”

Rhodey deflated, sighing, “Fine. Are you telling him?”

“...Yes. Yeah I think I will.”

The man nodded, “OK then. Good luck.”

Two minutes later, Peter walked in.

“Hey, Mr.Stark.” the kid said, waving, “Hi, Mr. Rhodes.”

“Hey there, kid.” Rhodey said. Peter and the man had met each other a few weeks into the internship and hit it off. Fair to say, Rhodey was soft for the kid too.

The man looked at Tony before he strutted towards the door, “Sorry I can't stay, just had to do something for your old man here.” Rhodey joked, patting the kid on the back, “Now I have other business to attend to. You kids have fun, try not to blow something up.” With that, he left, leaving Tony and Peter alone.

Peter was looking at the door that Rhodey just walked out of, “That was weird. What was that about- oof!”

Tony had practically sprinted up to Peter and pulled him in for a hug. 

He wrapped his arms around the younger man and embraced him tightly. This wasn't the first time he hugged the kid, his kid, but it was the first time that Tony never wanted to let go.

“M-Mr.Stark?” Peter called out, a bit taken aback. His arms were just out, not really knowing what to do. Tony didn't say anything. He didn't know what he could say.

The most important thing in his life was back with him, had been with him for all this time. 

He placed a hand on the back of Peter head and held him tighter, his fingers running through the curls he loved so much. 

Peter hesitated for a second before he hugged back as well. The kid was suspiciously silent as he held Tony just as tightly. He felt his son drop his head on his shoulder, cuddling into him.

They remained like that for a good five minutes before they broke apart. Tony immediately took Peter’s face in his hands and looked at him, really looked at him. 

After that dream, Tony’s brain seemed to have opened up and he could clearly remember what Emma used to look like (the lack of pictures and evidence made it especially harder) and it was so clear where Peter got his looks from. 

He had the same brown curls, the same nose and the same bone structure. But the eyes, the eyes were Tony’s. Emma had beautiful blue eyes while Peter had his brown ones. He was such a perfect mix of the two of them that it made Tony smile. 

He pulled him back in for another hug, cherishing the moment. He couldn't remember the last time he was this happy. 

“It's good to see you again, buddy.”

“You too, Mr.Stark.”


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoops.   
> Sorry about the late update guys. I just lost all motivation to write this story, kind of like a writers block. But now its slowly coming back so hopefully, i'll keep writing.   
> I know how much everyone was looking forward to an update, and apologies cause this isn't much but it is something.   
> Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoy

It was official.

Tony Stark was Peter’s father.

May stared at the paper, reading it over and over again to make sure she wasn't missing anything. But no, the tests came back positive.

May slumped down onto the sofa in disbelief. This was what she was afraid of. 

Sure, when Peter brought up the idea that Tony Stark was his father, she was supportive and caring, helping him when he needed it. But she hoped and prayed, over and over, that Peter was wrong. 

She didn't want Tony Stark to be his father. 

She didn't want Peter to leave her. 

And she knew she was being selfish, but she couldn't help it! Peter was her son. She raised him, not Tony Stark, Peter belonged with her. She still remembered the day clearly, when her sister invited her and Ben over to her place to meet her nephew. The second she looked into his adorable brown eyes, she knew she would do anything for that baby. And that was what she did. She gave her all, her everything, for Peter. They've been through so much together, but in the end, they always had each other. But now...because of Tony, that might all go away.

  Speaking of the Devil, that was when Peter came back home. 

He had his headphones on, bopping his head to the music he was listening, as he dumped his bag and took off his jacket. 

“Hey May.” he called out, pulling out his phone to stop the song. He took off his earphones and gave her a smile. 

God, she loved him. She loved her boy so much. 

He stopped in his tracks as he glanced at the paper in her hands, as well as her deadpan expression. 

“Is...Is that?” he asked, stuttering. 

May got up to face him, papers pulled close to her chest, “Yeah, it is.”

Peter nodded, “So...what does it say?”

May gripped the paper tighter, “...It’s negative.”

Peter’s eyebrows raised up and his mouth dropped, “W-What? Negative?”

“Yes...”

“...Oh.” Peter mumbled and May was a bit taken aback by how upset he sounded. 

Peter then sat down on the sofa, looking dejected, “It...It doesn't make sense. What about my dreams?”

“Maybe that’s just what they are...random dreams?” She felt a creeping feeling come up in her chest; guilt. 

She looked down at her boy. His jaw was tight and his eyebrows were furrowed. He was taking it hard.

“...I’m sorry honey.” May said, not sure what she was apologizing for. 

“What? No, don't be sorry, i’m not upset!”  Peter defended, “I mean, was I kind of looking forward to having a dad again? Sure. Was I excited that Mr.Stark could be my dad? Yeah I was...but it’s better this way! Makes things less complicated.”

May swallowed down a lump in her throat. Peter sounded so dejected and upset over this.

“I didn't-” she sputtered, “I didn't realize how much this meant to you.”

Peter simply shrugged, “Yeah, well...Doesn't change anything.” he let out a forced laugh, but she could see the trickles of tears that were starting to form, “Guess I got all worked up over nothing.”

May’s resolve broke. She couldn't stand to see him this upset. She was a parent, and what mattered to her was that Peter was happy. That's all she ever wanted, that's what his parents would want...that's what Ben would want. Even if he ended up leaving. 

“It’s positive.”

“...What?” Peter asked, looking up at her.

She turned the papers over to him, letting him read it, “I lied. It’s positive.”

Peter leaped up and grabbed it from her hands, reading it intently.

“Oh my God…” he said, before he looked up at her, “You totally stole that from F.R.I.E.N.D.S!” he exclaimed, before giving her a tight hug. 

“Yeah…” she said, hugging him tighter, “I totally did.”

~~~~~

When Tony sprinted up and hugged him, Peter was taken aback, but by no means uncomfortable. It felt normal, natural, like this was what was missing from his life. 

He always had father figures: Richard and Ben, but he lost them so long ago that he slowly started to forget what it felt like to be a kid again.

May was doing her absolute best to raise him, to give him the easy life, but coming from a home with a single parent, a home where they only had each other, it was inevitable that Peter would shoulder some of her burdens and issues that a fifteen year old shouldn't have to do as much as May tried to not let that happen. 

But with Tony, it felt different, it always did. 

He felt no responsibilities, like he didn't have to worry about anything. He felt like he could be creative and goofy and make mistakes without worrying about the overall consequences. He knew that whatever he did, Tony would always be behind him. The man had been his mentor, his guardian, unwavering for all these months. Now that Peter knew he was his father, it seemed...normal.   

Tony and Peter spent the whole evening together, getting back into the zone of their projects. It felt like old times again. 

Maybe that's why Peter hesitated. He came there to tell Tony the truth, to tell him that they were related, to hopefully be accepted. It wouldn't be hard, the DNA test results were right in his bag, all he would have to do is whip it out and show it to the man and that would be that. 

But he didn't do it. 

Deep down, he was scared. Not about Tony rejecting him, of course he wouldn't, but about what would happen when he does accept Peter as his son.

What if things got awkward around them? Even if they are father and son, fact is that they only got to know each other over these last few months. For the other fourteen years, Tony wasn't there. Sure, it wasn't his fault and Peter didn't blame him in any way, but has it been too long? Can they fill the gaps and continue on? Things would change between them, of course, their dynamic would be shifted completely, but could they handle it?

Could Tony handle being a dad again? Could Peter handle being his son?

And what if they couldn't? What if they try to be a family and it just...doesn't work?

What if Peter loses another father?

“Pete?” suddenly, the younger boy was brought back to the present where Tony was snapping his fingers in front of his eyes..

“Wu- huh?” Peter mumbled, blinking his eyes.

“You zoned out there, kid.” Tony said, looking concerned, “You feeling OK?” the man brought his hand up to feel Peter’s forehead and Peter smiled at how domestic it felt. 

“You don't have a fever.” Tony noted, “Got too many things on your mind?”

“Yeah, you could say that.”

“Want to talk about it?”

_ ‘Say yes! _ ’ Peter told himself,  _ ‘This is the perfect chance! Say yes, and hand over the papers’ _

“No.” he said.

_ ‘Dammit Peter!’ _

Tony looked a bit taken aback and Peter explained: “I mean, no, it’s not important. Just my brain going on about nothing in particular, you know how it is.”

Tony nodded, seeming to understand, “Yeah, I'm all too familiar with those days. Meditation helps.”

Peter raised an eyebrow, “I didn't know you meditate.”

“Ugh, no.” Tony said, pretending to be offended, “I don't meditate, I’ve just heard it helps. And as the adult here, I get to tell you to do it.”

“...that’s not how that works.”

“Oh? You want to tell me how to parent, Mr. _‘I can drink six cans of soda and be completely fine’_?”

Peters heart leaped at Tony referencing his parenting, wondering if the man knew, but calmed himself down when he remembered it was a regular ironic joke between them that Tony was (not as funny considering that it is literal now) Peter’s bootleg dad.

Not wanting to hesitate or seem awkward or uncomfortable, Peter responded: “That was one time! And you didn't even let me do it!”

“Because if I didn't stop you, you’d probably be dead. Do want that on your obituary? Peter Parker: dead at fifteen due to soda overdose.”

Tony gulped down the lump in his throat as he joked, the image to painful for him even if he was trying to prove a point, whatever that point was. It was always the case with Peter where they would just talk and bounce rebuttals off each other that the original argument would get lost in a sea of comebacks. 

Tony didn't get why he was stalling. Before Peter came, he was convinced that by the end of today, he would know that he was his father. But something deep inside him was stopping him from saying anything.

And that was the fear that maybe Peter didn't want a dad anymore. 

Tony, his father, wasn't there for him growing up (and Tony blamed himself every waking day for that), he lost his adoptive dad as well as his uncle. No doubt, fatherhood in Peter’s life was a difficult subject for him at this point, so what if he just didn't want a father? 

Not to mention, Peter was already the best son Tony could have ever hoped for, but what if he wasn't a good enough father? It had been fourteen years since he last saw his baby, and now he was right in front of him and all Tony wanted to do was to hug him and never let go.

How the hell was he supposed to convey all of these emotions to his child? Or rather, he shouldn't. A parents burden should not land on the shoulders of their offspring. Tony needed to sort his own emotional turmoil out before he brought Peter into it. 

“Ah, shoot.” Peter said, glancing at his watch, “it’s getting late I need to go back home.”

“It is quite late, why don't you just stay here?” Tony quickly asked, “Or at least have dinner, i’ll pay.”

Peter looked up at the man, brown eyes sparkling, “...Dinner sounds good.”

“Great!” Tony said, clapping his hands, “I’ll order some takeout. How does Indian sound?”

Peter gave him a thumbs up, “Oh, but make sure it doesn't have-”

“Peanuts because you’re allergic, got it.” Tony said, scrolling on his phone to order the food. 

“...yeah,” Peter said, after a pause, “How did you know that?”

Tony coughed, trying to pass off his slip up, “You’ve mentioned it before.”

Peter hesitated. Did he? He couldn't remember doing so, but that’s not to say he didn't. He probably went on his usual rambling spree and spilt all his secrets. 

If only he could do it now. 

~~~~~

Peter’s sighed, annoyed. In the end, he couldn't do it. They had dinner and chatted for a while and Peter left. Tony almost shoved the kid into a car to drop him off home, but Peter refused adamantly. One, because he needed to buy groceries on the way home, and two, he needed some time for himself. 

He got onto the subway and took some comfort in the familiar setting. A bunch of people, all shoved together, trying their best to mind their own business. Peter popped in his earphones and started playing music at random, not really in the mood but also, not wanting to do nothing.

Once he got off the train, he made his way to the nearest store. May wanted him to buy supplies so she could make a big dinner, celebrating Peter and Tony as father and Son. He really needed to tell her that wasn't happening anytime soon. He groaned inwardly as he glanced through the aisles and bought himself a chocolate bar to cheer himself up. May was going to be so disappointed in him.  

He paid for the item and walked out of the store, making his way back home. Maybe he should stop by Delmars, that place always cheered him up. His metabolism was making him feel hungry again, even though he just had a huge meal. 

His mind wandered off again to how Tony knew about his allergies. It made him wonder, for a second, if Tony knew that Peter was his son. 

But if he knew...why didn't he say anything?

Peter grunted in frustration, ruffling his own hair. 

_‘You know what!_ ’ he thought to himself, _‘This is going nowhere. The only way to resolve this is to just tell the man!’_

Peter got out his phone, ready and riled up to call the man and tell him the truth, when his spider senses suddenly acted up. 

He paused, on edge, looking around. His was alone on the street, but that wasn't necessarily unusual for this part of town. 

Around him were houses and neat little cafes all of which were...empty. 

Peter cursed himself. He was so focused on his problems he didn't realize that the entire place had practically been vacated. What was going on?

He was about to sprint and run out of there, but he stopped as a black bike immediately pulled up next to him, a person completely clad in black riding on top of it, their faces obscured by their helmet. Peter’s heart leaped in his chest. Whatever bike the man was driving was built to be completely silent. He couldn't even hear the vehicle come up.   Peter’s senses were going haywire and he was terrified. The person on the bike gave off a dangerous aura that he did not want to mess with.    
And true to suspicion, the person swiftly pulled out a gun and placed it square on Peter’s forehead. 

His eyes widened in fear, his muscles freezing up. He screamed at himself to move, fight, run, do anything! But he couldn't. His feet felt like they were welded into the ground. His mind went to the first time he handled a person with a gun, and how he froze then too. 

“Hello, Peter.” The person said, a man by the sound of it. His voice sounded gruff, a bit muffled by the helmet, “Oscorp wants a word with you.”

“W-Wha-” Peter stammered out, his eyes trailing to the gun that was still aimed directly at him. 

“He knows your Spider-man.” the stranger said, “He has a few experiments he wants you to take.”

“Why-” Peter swallowed, “Why go through all th-this trouble? Surely you can just ask?”

The unknown man cocked his head, “Will you come willingly if I tell you they’re going to lock you inside for months together while they experiment on you?”

Peter’s eyes widened, breath caught in his throat. 

“Didn't think so.”

And the man pulled the trigger.

~~~~~

Tony was getting ready to go to bed when he received a call. 

From May Parker.

At twelve at midnight.

Raising an eyebrow, he answered it. He had given May his number the day they all went out for dinner, in case of emergencies or if she needed a favor. Not once has she even texted him since then. 

“Hello?” he said.

_“Tony?”_ May’s voice replied and his heart dropped. Her tone of voice sounded so...scared.

“May, what’s wrong?” Tony asked, frantically, his mind racing. 

_ “Is Peter with you?” _

“W- No, he left for home hours ago.”

_ “Shit. Fuck. Fuck!”  _

Tony’s heart was hammering away and he felt his whole body going numb, “May, what happened? Where’s Peter?”

_“He hasn't come home yet, Tony.”_ May said, sounding on the verge of tears, _“I mean, he’s been home late before but never like this. He isn't picking up his phone, he’s not with Ned or with MJ. I thought he might be with you but... and maybe his phone is dead but he still should be home. Should I call the police? What if something happened?”_

Tony felt his body go into shock. No. Not again. He lost Peter once, he couldn't go through that again. 

“...I- Ok, wait. Let me check. I’ll call you in two minutes when I find something.”

He hung up and immediately addressed his AI: “Jarvis-”

_ “Already checking surveillance cameras and tracking Peter’s suit, Sir.” _

Tony bit his thumb nail, tapping his foot. His heart was beating so fast it felt like it was going to explode. 

After what felt like hours, but in reality was five minutes, Jarvis spoke up again.

_ “Sir, I'm afraid I have some terrible news.” _

“W-What?” Tony felt his breathing get heavier, “What is it?”

_ “Sir, please sit down, I will send you the footage.” _

“For fucks sake Jarvis, just tell me!” Tony’s phone pinged and he grabbed it, ignoring Jarvis’s request for him to sit. After he watched the video, he regretted it. 

Tony fell down onto his knees, his legs giving up on him, as he watched a random biker pull up alongside Peter and pull out a fucking gun. Tony flinches heavily, his hand covering his mouth when he saw the man pull the trigger and Peter fall to the ground. 

_“Sir!”_ he faintly heard Jarvis say, _“Peter is still alive.”_

It took all of Tony’s willpower to not succumb to the panic attack that was a hair length away. He could feel the tell tale signs, shaking hands, the difficulty in breathing, that he was starting to feel numb. 

“H-He’s ok?” he managed to stammer out. 

“ _Yes sir. Analyzing the footage, there is only a small bruise on his forehead, likely a drug of sorts that made him pass out. Also, the man picked him up and took him away, but he was seen checking Peter’s pulse.”_

Ok, ok. Peter was alive, he was ok. 

Except….

“He’s been fucking kidnapped!?” Tony shrieked, jumping back onto his feet. He felt dizzy, but not because of a headrush, but because all the panic he felt in his system was leaking out, only to be replaced by something else. 

Rage.

“Jarvis, prep the suit, I'm going in.”

_ “I have informed the police Sir, and-” _

“No time for that shit.” Tony cursed, his instincts now taking over, a desperate need to get into his armor, “Track Peter’s suit. I’ll get to him much faster than the police.”

_ “...Understood, Sir.” _

“Make sure you tell May what’s going on.” Tony ordered as he finally reached his lab. He practically ran over to his suit and wasted no time putting it on. The metal clicked into place, the suit practically like second skin to him at this point. Tony had done a good job of creating a machine that works to put the suit on him in a matter of seconds, but it felt like a lifetime. 

_“Peter’s location has been found, sending the coordinates to your suit Sir,”_ Jarvis said.

Tony said nothing as his boots flared to life and he blasted out of the house from the tunnel he made specifically for this reason. He increased the throttle to maximum capacity and zoomed across the sky at a speed he wasn't aware enough to note. 

Whoever took Peter, for whatever reason. 

He was going to fucking kill them. 


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For reference, I picture the green goblin the way he was in Into the spider-verse.  
> Is that a spoiler for this chapter? Whoops.

Peter groaned as the headache hit him like a truck. With great difficulty, he squinted his eyes open, hissing when his vision was hit with a bright light. Was it morning already? His body felt exhausted, like he had not slept for days. 

 Eventually, his vision became clear and once he took a scan of his surroundings, it all came flooding back. 

He was kidnapped. 

Peter sat up, eyes wide and scared. He was in the middle of a room that looked similar to those giant hospital rooms he saw in TV shows. It even had a section above that had a portion of glass, so that the person standing on the other side could look into the room. 

 The room was painted in a beige white color and the only other thing in the room was a door.

Peter shot up to his feet, jumping off the mattress and immediately running for the door…

Only to immediately and painfully smash his head against a wall. 

With a cry, Peter fell back onto the floor, his ears ringing. His hand automatically came up to his forehead, trying to ease the pain. Confused, he stumbled back up to his feet and when he looked straight ahead, he saw a smudge print on the air in front of him. Raising his hand, Peter walked forward slowly with his arm stretched out. He flinched when his fingers touched something cool and smooth.

Quickly, he realized it was glass. 

He looked down and sure enough, no matter how crystal clear the glass was, the bottom of it was lined with a thick steel base. Panicked, and with one hand still on the glass, Peter ran across the length of it and realized that it was circular. 

He was trapped in a glass dome. 

Breathing labored, Peter jumped up, careful to not crash into the glass as he stuck to the ceiling and crawled over the entire surface but he couldn't find anything, not one single crack, not one single speck. This was crazy, this was absolutely insane. 

Hopping down, he made his was towards the steel lining. Rolling up his sleeves, Peter squatted and grabbed the edge. Once he got a decent enough grip, he pulled it up. It only made it a centimeters off the ground, the thing was incredibly heavy, before he felt a sharp pain and with a cry, he let the dome go. 

He fell to the ground, body convulsing as he strained to take air into his lungs. He felt his ears go numb and block out all the sound. There was a pain in his neck from the strain, his hands shaking violently. He couldn't move, he couldn't speak, he couldn't breathe! His eyes rolled to the back of his head as he shook helplessly

Finally after a few seconds, with a huge gasp, Peter could breathe air into his lungs again and his body slowly stopped trembling. Tears streamed down his face as he took deep, painful gasps. With a cough, he managed to push himself up to a sitting position. Sniffing and wiping the tears off his face, he stared down at the metal base. What the hell happened?

His Spidey senses suddenly started to tingle. Hopping back to his feet, Peter braced himself. Even though he was inside this glass, his enhanced hearing could still pick out the footsteps that were coming his way.    
Eventually, they arrived. Two men walked into his field of vision. They looked into the room through the glass panel in the wall, peering down at the trapped boy.   
Peter recognized one of them. Norman Osborn.   
The man was wearing a white lab coat over his shirt and trousers, his brown hair slicked back with a deadly smile on his face as he looked at Peter the same way one would look at a mouse trapped in its cage.   
The other man, Peter didn't know, but he knew it was the same one who shot him as he wore the same clothes and had the same build. Maybe, since the man hadn't changed outfits, it hadn't been long since Peter was kept here. He wasn't as old as Osborn was, but definitely in his early to mid thirties. He had combed back brown hair with a light beard and he looked at Peter with a deadpan expression but maybe, just maybe, there was a bit of sadness in them. 

“Hurts, doesn't it?” Osborn asked, his voice raspy, “You were just shocked with enough voltage to take down an elephant. Meddle with the glass again, and I can't assure you that you’ll survive.”

Peter looked down at his hands. They hit him with that much power? That could have killed him! It would have killed him if he was a normal person.

Almost like he could read his mind, Normal said: “Oh don't worry. Aside from the initial shock and pain, there’s no danger to you, Parker. We know how capable your powers are and what you can handle. We just needed some incentives so that you’ll be...cooperative.”

“You’re fucking crazy.” Peter spat out, angered.

Osborn just laughed, “Strong language from the local super-hero sweetheart.”

“Why are you doing this?” Peter shouted, “Why have you kept me here?”

“Because,” Osborn looked at his watch and tutted, “We’re organizing a crime.”

“A-A what?”

“A crime. A killing. We’re going to murder someone and I dont need Spider-man swooping in at the right moment to stop everything.” he rolled his eyes, exasperated, “So, we’re keeping you here for the night until our little operation is over. Once that’s done, you’re free to go.”

Osborn smiled at him, but it was obvious that he was lying. They had no intention of letting Peter go, so why not just kill him right now? 

Again, Oscorp was ahead of him: “Oh-Oh, yes, well I do believe Mr.Beck here,” he patted the other man on the back, “Did mention something about experiments and locking you up. Well it isn't that extreme, we’re not keeping you for months. Just for enough time to squeeze every last drop of information we can get from you, speaking of which-” he looked at his watch again and snapped his fingers, “I do believe we have time for now!”

Peter’s heart rate suddenly elevated and his Spidey senses went haywire. 

But he couldn't do anything except watch as the man fiddled on the dial board in front of them.

“Now, what to do…” Oscorp mumbled, “Take away oxygen? Poison gas? Oh! Maybe decrease the temperature in there to see if he goes into hibernation!”

Peter choked on his spit as he heard Oscorp decide the various ways in which to torture him. 

The other man, Beck seemed to have noticed. He elbowed Oscorp, “I think the kid heard you.”

The older man looked at Peter and smiled, “Oh you’re right, he definitely did. Only someone who hears their terrible fate look that pale. Super hearing, I love it! Oh! Maybe I can pump in ultraviolet noise see how long it takes for his ears to blee-”

Suddenly there was a noise, a loud crash followed by some scuffling. In a few seconds, the lights turned red and the alarm went off. 

“Ah!” Osborn exclaimed, looking at his watch, “He’s early! How annoying.”

He moved away from the table and Peter could breathe again. 

“Well,” the man said, clapping his hands, “I’m going to make way for our guest. You keep an eye on the kid.” and with that, he was gone.

~~~~~

Tony didn't even bother to land. He simply spotted a window and gunned it, crashing through the material like paper. There was a guard there, looking after the hallway, but he barely got a chance to look up from his phone before Tony slammed into him, propelling the man across the hall. His scream alerted a few other guards, this time with guns, but Tony didn't care. 

It only took him a few seconds to knock them all out, but not before one of them rang the alarm. The lights above turned red and a blaring noise echoed throughout the halls, but again, Tony didn't care. 

“Jarvis.” he called out. 

_ “Scan of building complete sir. There’s a heat signature coming from the lowest floor.” _

Without saying another word, Tony’s boosters flared to life as he flew down the staircases, dispatching whoever came in his way. 

Eventually, he reached the basement and frantically looked around. But there was nothing aside from parked cars. He grit his teeth, prepared to rip the place apart brick by brick, but suddenly there was a hissing noise. 

Tony watched as a section of the floor unhinged from the ground. Smoke streamed from the square imprint on the ground as the cement was suddenly being pushed aside and an escalator was revealed, the machine going several feet underground. So it was some kind of secret basement. 

A man walked out of it and into Tony’s line of vision. He grit his teeth, his expression masked by the Iron Man armor. It was Norman Osborn. 

He wasn't surprised. Osborn was Stark's number one competitor, but he was always behind, never good enough to even come close to what Stark’s technology had managed to accomplish. There had been several attempts by him to capture Iron Man because he could tell the armor was made from Stark technology. Not the first time he was being a bitch about it, but to kidnap his fucking kid…

“Iron Man!” Osborn said, clapping his hands, “What a wonderful entrance, so good to see you again!”

Not wasting a second, Tony’s propellers shot him forward at incredible speed, his gauntlet reaching out to securely wrap his fingers around Osborns throat. He lifted the man up by his neck, dangling him in the air. Osborn choked and gasped, his fingers coming up to scratch at the metal, but he still had that disgusting grin on his face. 

“Where is he?” Tony asked, voice firm and commanding. 

“S-Straight to the point I see.” the man choked out, voice coming out hoarse, “Dont worry Tony, your boy’s just fine.”

Tony felt his heart drop and his fingered loosened. Osborn collapsed on the ground, coughing and gasping. 

Tony’s boots died down, his armor landing down beside the man. 

“How the hell do you know my name?”

Osborn laughed a wicked, playful laugh. He looked up at Tony, his eyes wide and maniacal. 

“I’ve always known.” he purred, “The head of Stark Industries, the man behind Iron Man, the man young Spider-man is so fond of.” he chuckled again, “Seriously Tony, that boy is your weakness. Did you honestly think you could hide yourself for so long?”   
“What the hell are you talking about?”   
“Still don't get it?” the man tutted like he was disappointed, “Tony, Tony, Tony, this same thing happened sixteen years ago, didn't it?”   
“The fuck-”   
“Beautiful Emma, in your house, all alone.”   
Tony felt his blood run cold.   
“We were there for little Caleb but she had to do.”   
His heart was pounding.   
“And here we are again, years later and you’ve found yourself an adopted Son.”   
His mouth went dry   
“And he’s going to die here. Because of you.”   
He raised his gauntlet and was about to fire a blast at Osborn’s face, killing him then and there, but he was stopped. There was a hand wrapped around his gauntlet, stopping him from moving. 

A massive green hand with sharp nails and a deadly grip. A hand that was connected to Osborn himself. The man grinned up at Tony, his face colored the same shade of green, his iris’s smaller and his teeth sharper. He was transforming. 

“What? You think you’re the only one with an alter ego?” he asked, his voice raspy. All Tony could do was watch as he grew bigger and bigger, his clothes ripping from his growing muscles. His face contorted, his teeth grew sharper and his ears grew bigger. His back split open and out popped two wings, giant and scaley. He turned into a monster.

With a roar, Osborn attacked. 

~~~~~

Peter’s ears picked up the howling and he shivered. Whatever was making that noise wasn't human. Beck seemed to pick up on it too, furrowing his brow. 

“So soon?” he muttered under his breath, “Does he want to bring down the whole building? Fucking idiot…”

“What?” Peter asked, shuffling forward on his knees to press up against the glass. For whatever reason, Beck came down to sit with Peter, lounging on the floor beside the glass cage, “What do you mean? What’s happening?”

“You ever heard of the Green Goblin, kid?”

Peter thought for a second, “Yeah, mythical villain guy.”

Beck pointed to the ceiling, “That’s him.”

Peter paused before he started to laugh, “You’re joking right?”

Beck said nothing.

“You’re not? I thought the Green Goblin was just a tale that parents told their kids to make them go to bed or some shit!”

“That bastard is real alright. Osborn is into some weird shit.”

“Osborn?!” Peter exclaimed, “Wh-How did he keep that a secret for so long.”

Beck shrugged, “Hell if I know. I’ve only been working for the guy for a year.”

“As a hit man.”

“I get my hands dirty when he doesn't want to. If that’s what you call a hitman then yeah, that’s what I am.”

Another rumble shook the ground. Peter heard another cry but this time, he could also hear the familiar sound of blasters. 

Iron Man. Tony was here!

Beck noted the change in expression and raised his eyebrows, “So, you Iron-Man’s lover or something?”

Peter felt himself grimace, disgusted, “Ew! No! Why would you even ask me that?”

“That’s how we managed to find him.” Beck said, ignoring Peter’s outburst.”

“...What?”

Beck cracked his knuckles, “I’ve been keeping an eye on you for awhile, Osborns orders, and I saw you and Iron Man chumming it up. Osborn took a risk trapping you here, betting that the man to show up and turns out he’s right.”

Peter felt his heart leapt to his throat, “S-So when he said he wanted to kill someone-”

“He’s going to kill Iron-Man, yeah.”

Before Peter could panic, before he could start begging Beck to let him out, the ceiling caved and two figures crashed through. 

~~~~~

With a cry, Osborn lunged for Tony, his sharp claws ready to grab onto the flying man but Tony was quicker. With a quick adjustment, he dodged the attack before he fired a blast right into the demons face. That granted him two seconds before the guy got back to his senses. 

He needed to get to Peter first. His Son was his priority. Once he was safe, he was going to come back and rip Osborn apart, piece by piece. Without thinking about it, Tony dived into the hatch in the ground, his suit flying right above the escalator as he flew as fast as he possibly could. 

Surprisingly, but not unexpected, Osborn followed. His giant form was small enough to fit through the hatch and within a few seconds, he was right on Tony’s tail, his giant wings flapping, making it harder for Tony to maintain balance. 

He saw the light at the end of the tunnel and Tony increased his speed, but it wasn't enough. Osborn reached out his hand and he grabbed his opponent by the legs. Tony grunted, trying to pull out but the monster was too strong. Osborn pulled him closer, his face contorted into a grin. 

Quickly, Tony fired up his gauntlet and shot at one of his wings, the blast powerful enough to rip a hole through the skin. The monster cried, his flight tampered as they both heavily crashed at the bottom of the escalator. Osborn’s weight was so heavy, that the minute they crashed, the cheap floors gave way and they both fell. Tony was lucky that the brunt of the impact was taken by Osborn but he was still rattled. With another blast to his fingers, Tony broke free of his clutches and immediately flew away, keeping some distance between them. 

He took a quick sweep of the room, marveling for a second at how huge it was before his eyes landed on a glass dome. 

Inside of which was his Son.

He was ok, he was fine but the other person was not. There was a body in front of the dome, the person’s head smashed in due to the flying rubble. Tony didn't really care, casualties happen, but the look on Peter’s face...he looked so pale and scared Tony just wanted to get to him. 

“Peter!” Tony screamed, his suit already moving towards him but suddenly, he was knocked out of the air. Osborn’s tail smashed into his suit, knocking the breath out of Tony’s lungs as he was sent flying into a wall, the material breaking off in small pieces around him. 

Osborn stumbled over to Peter’s dome and perched on top of it, scaring his boy even more. 

**“Don’t even try, Iron Man.”** Osborn said, his voice deep and ragged, **“I’m killing you right here, right now.”**

Faster than a body that big should be able to move, Osborn shot off the dome and towards tony. His jaw unhinged and he bit the suit, his mouth large enough that it covered his torso. Tony screamed as the suit was crushed between the teeth, the sharp object piercing into his ribs. Osborn ripped them off the wall before he landed in front of the glass dome. He dropped the suit, watching it slam heavily onto the ground. He brought his hand up and pinned the man onto the ground, immobilizing him. Shifting his weight, Osborn started to crush the suit beneath his hand. 

Tony felt his chest getting crushed, the air being squeezed out of his lungs. But even then, he turned his head and looked at Peter.

His eyes were wide and afraid, his mouth open in a silent scream. He was still shocked by the dead body that was still in front of him, but now, he was watching Tony get beaten.

“Peter, it’s going to be ok!” he consoled, “I’m going to get you out of here, bud!”

**“You’re going nowhere!”** Osborn roared. He picked Tony up and slammed him back on the ground,  **“You save no one!”** another lift and slam. Tony’s head felt like it was splitting open, a ringing sound in his ear. With a yell, Tony blasted a powerful beam into Osborn’s eye, making the monster cry out. His grip loosened and the suit sputtered back to life, getting Tony out of there. Once again he managed to escape and fly away, but his suit was battered and he felt his blood seep into the cracks. He needed to finish this battle as soon as possible. On guard, this time he was ready for when Osborn attacked.

All Peter could do was stare in silence as Osborn and Iron Man flew across the room, fighting each other. At this point it was anyone's game. 

His eyes once again landed on the broken, bleeding form of Beck. The man didn't even see it coming. One second he was talking to Peter, next second a ton of metal crashed down on his head. He was dead. Just like that. 

Last time Peter saw a dead body was Ben and he never wanted to experience that moment ever again. But it happened. 

And it was going to happen again.

Osborn was going to kill Tony.

This wasn't about them needing Spider-man. It was about them wanting to kill Iron Man.

They took a risk by bringing Peter here, kidnapping him for a plan that could easily fail if Peter and Tony were not close. 

But even if Tony never came, they still had Peter to experiment on. There was no situation where they would lose. 

They were going to kill Iron man and keep Peter indefinitely. 

They were going to kill Tony.

They were going to kill his Dad.

Without thinking about it, Peter reeled back his hand and punched the glass wall with all his got. The dome shook, a dull sound resonating in the room upon impact. 

The sound got everyone looking at him. 

**“Aw, how cute.”** The goblin laughed a dry, wispy chuckle,  **“The little boy thinks he can break several inches of glass by punching it.”**

“Peter! Are you crazy!?”

Ignoring them, Peter punched the wall again and again and again. Eventually, the glass started to crack. He smiled weakly, he got this, he could do this! Not stopping, he landed a few more hard hits, increasing the damage

He heard the crack of his bones before he felt the pain. One finger had snapped. Peter grit his teeth and grabbed his wrist, trying not to cry out. No doubt Tony heard the injury as well, as he blasted his propeller towards the dome but was immediately knocked around by Osborn again. 

With difficulty, Peter curled his hand into a fist again. He already fucked up one hand, he couldn't risk hurting the other in case he needed to fight. 

So storing his common sense and pain tolerance somewhere in the back of his head, Peter reeled back his arm, broken finger and all, and punched again. 

The crack aggravated, the shattered lines branching across more and more as he punched. 

“Peter!” Tony snapped, his voice altered by the suit, “Stop!”

But the kid ignored him and kept punching. Occasionally, he switched to his elbow but realized that he had more power in his fists.

Finally, finally, the entire dome was covered in cracks and shattered lines. 

Reeling back once more, clenching his fists that had at least three broken fingers, Peter yelled before he punched the wall again with all his might. 

His feet slipped underneath him as the glass gave way, the whole dome shattering into thousands of pieces. Due to his momentum, Peter was thrust forward and he immediately started to sprint. The glass raised all over him, a few of them cutting his skin but it was nothing to him.

He crashed into Osborn, knocking the giant goblin off of his feet, away from his father.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just want to thank you all for the amazing support. I got such kind words from you all regarding my Writers block and it cheered me up so much. I'm starting to feel motivated again!  
> And it's also upsetting at the same time because this story is about to conclude very soon in a few chapters. Hope you enjoy the way it ends!


	14. Chapter 14

Tony watched in awe as Peter slammed into that giant green monster, knocking the thing straight off its feet and sending him crashing into the wall. Sometimes he forgot how strong the kid was.   
Taking advantage of the situation, Tony fired a giant blast at the monster, ripping another massive hole in his other wing. Osborn let out a loud scream and his tail slashed around wildly. Tony was able to dodge the attack, but Peter wasn't so lucky. He managed to evade it a few times but then he got sloppy and the tail hit him, sending him flying.    
“You bastard!” Tony yelled, before he attacked again, but Osborn managed to recollect himself. When Tony charged, he reached his massive hand out and grabbed him again, immediately crushing him. However, this time, Tony’s arms were free. He activated his new invention, a nano-tech sword that was built into his suit. The sharp blade popped out of his gauntlet and he used to to immediately chop off the hand that was around him.    
A blood curdling scream was let out, shaking the room. The monster clutched his bleeding arm to his chest, the liquid pouring in tons onto the floor.    
The severed limb fell to the ground, Tony still held inside it. With a grunt and a few blasts, he set himself free. “Peter!” he exclaimed as he flew towards his boy. Peter was on the ground, groaning in pain. Tony landed beside him and pulled him up, hands frantically trying to detect any injury.   
  
“Shit. shit! Peter, talk to me, did you hit your head? Break any bones?”   
  
“No- I’m fine just- Look out!”   
  
Peter suddenly pushed Tony away, his strength flinging the armor several steps away only for him to be attacked by Osborn. The monster had charged towards them, his remaining hand pulled back to blow a deadly punch. Peter managed to shield himself with his own arms, taking the brunt of the attack.    
Tony watched as Peter was pushed up against the wall, Osborn not letting up. This was his chance, his moment to end it all. His blasters flared and he flew up, clutching onto Osborn's giant head. He caught the monster in a choke-hold, not letting him go, his arc reactor pressed up against the back of his head. The metal in his chest heated up, all the power the suit possessed focusing onto that point. Osborn seemed to realize that something bad was going to happen to him. He let up on Peter, about to attack Tony, but he suddenly stopped. Peter had quickly wrapped his arms around his good hand and help on to it tightly. So tightly in fact, that no matter how much Osborn tried to pry him off   
or run away, Peter’s super strength didn't let up. Even when Osborn tried to kick at him, scratching up his boy’s arms, Peter’s hold remained strong.    


“Peter!” Tony screamed, holding on tighter as Osborn squirmed, “close your eyes!”   
Without a moments hesitation, Peter did as he was told.    
And Tony was grateful. His arc reactor was at full power and he immediately let loose. A powerful beam blasted from his reactor and right through Osborn’s skull. It blew through his face to the point where it came out the other side and scorched the wall he was facing. Immediately, his body went limp and he collapsed, still in his monstrous form. Tony went down with it, but he refused to stay down. He quickly hopped over the body and towards Peter, who still had his eyes closed. 

Tony grabbed him by the back of the head and pulled him into an embrace, shielding him from the sight that he didn't need to see. Peter’s forehead was against his chest plate, breathing heavily.   
“Come on, let's get you out of here.”   
Peter nodded, accepting when Tony lifted him by the armpits and flew them out of that room.   
Tony’s brain was working non-stop and he could feel himself shutting down and letting all the thoughts and emotions run him over, but he persevered. The only thing that matter was Peter so he shoved all of his feelings down and focused. Only think about Peter.   
He dropped his kid outside the building, “I’ll be back in one second, OK?”   
Peter nodded, watching as his father flew into the building again. It wasn't anything too important but Tony was angry. He was enraged. He managed to find Osborn's office and plant a hack into the computer that gave him access to everything. Everything.    
  
“Jarvis, take it from here.”   
_ “Yes Sir. I should also inform you that police are on the way to the scene.” _   
“Cool. Email them all the dirt you find, try to convince them that Osborn deserves to be dead. Pay off people if needed.”   
_ “Yes Sir. Your cleanup crew is on the way.” _   
“You’re the best J.”   
He was about to leave the room when he saw something in the corner of his eye. Peter’s backpack. He opened it and saw his Spider-man suit, his wallet and his phone. Clutching it close to him, Tony left to go back to his son.   
Peter was still outside, only now a bit spooked because of the sound of incoming sirens.   
“Here” he gave him the bag before he picked him up again and flew away, making his way back to the tower.   
His grip on his boy didn't let up, but eventually his suit did. He cursed as his boots sputtered, the damage from the fight finally taking its toll. Quickly maneuvering around, Tony deposited the two of them on the room of a random skyscraper. Jarvis gave Happy a call, informing the man that they needed to be picked up before Tony was let out of the suit. The man stumbled out, immediately reaching for Peter. Now that they were out of danger and flying in silence, all his emotions came pouring out at once and he couldn't control it.   


“Show me your hand.”   


“Yeah, yea- ow! Don't pull!”   


“Sorry!” Tony said, grimacing as he gently took his Son’s hand and inspected it. It was broken, for sure, two or three fingers by the looks of it. They had turned black and blue, some of his skin had cut open and he was bleeding through the wounds.    


“You stupid, stupid boy!” Tony snapped before pulling Peter in to a bone crushing hug. Peter’s startled cry got muffled against Tony’s shoulder and he hugged the kid, a hand around his back, the other on Peter’s head, holding him close.    


“M’ sorry.” Peter said, bringing his good arm up to hug the man back, “Was scared you were going to die.”   


Tony simply sighed, pulled back a little to place a firm kiss on peters cheek before he pulled the boy back again. He wasn't letting go anytime soon.    
“No, Peter I’m sorry.” he whispered into Peter’s curls, “I’m so sorry.”   


“Mr. Stark-”   


“This keeps happening. You were roped into all of this again because of me.”   


“Tony-”   


“My dad was right. Sending you away was for your own good and now you got kidnapped and-”   


“Hey!” Peter snapped, breaking the hug, “What are you talking about?”   


Tony took two deep breaths before he grabbed Peter’s face gently, framing his jaw.  
“...You’re my boy.” he said, “You’re my Son, you’re my Caleb.”   


“...What?” Peter asked, a bit breathlessly. He backed away a bit, Tony’s hold on him gone.   


“I know it’s a lot to take in but i’ll explain everything-”   


“You _know_! _?_ ” Peter exclaimed, pointing a finger at his dad.   


Tony raised his eyebrows, “What-I- _You_ know!?”   


“Yes!” Peter said, his good arm waving about, “I actually suspected it for awhile now but I got proof like yesterday.”   


“Why didn't you say anything!?” Their voices were still a bit too high pitched.   


Peter at least looked a bit sheepish, “I wasn't sure! I didn't want to get your hopes up and crush it in case it wasn't true! Hey- Why didn't you say anything?!”   


Tony raised his hands in defense, “I only found out this morning, kid! And I was...I was too scared to tell you.”   


“...yeah I think I was too.”   


Tony felt the tell tale signs of the lump in his throat, “Come here.”   


Thankfully, Peter pushed himself forward and into Tony’s arms again. He leaned heavily against his father and Tony accepted him easily, his arms around the kids waist making it easier to balance the weight out.   


“You’re...You’re OK with it?” Tony asked a bit hesitantly. He was so prepared for backlash, for a million questions, for denial, but he wasn't ready for this. A quiet Peter who had already accepted everything.    


He felt Peter nod against his shoulder, “I had some time to wrap my head around it… are you OK with it?”   


“Yes, of course.” Tony said, holding him tighter. He leaned his cheek against Peters hair and closed his eyes, “I couldn't be happier.”   


“Where do we go from here?” Peter asked, softly.    


“Well, first we’re taking you to the med bay, getting your hand fixed up. Then we’re going to look into Oscorp’s files and make sure we burn that business to the ground.”   


Peter chuckled, “Not what I meant.”   


Tony ran a hand through the kids hair, “I know what you meant.” he admitted, “But let’s just go one step at a time yeah? No need to stress out about the future just yet.”   


Peter nodded again, snuggling into Tony’s shoulder.    


“But kid, I need you to know something.”   


“Yeah?”   


“Whatever this is, whatever this becomes, it’s all about you, ok? If you want nothing to change, we can do that. If you want to start over, we can do that. Whatever you need.”   


Peter smiled, “I know.”   
~~~~~

Tony heaved a sigh of relief as Peter’s hand was finally bandaged up. Four broken fingers and a broken wrist. They were lucky they made it back to the med bay on time as there were signs that Peter’s super healing was fixing the bones before they were set back in the right direction. That, along with several scratches over his body   


“Are you always that reckless?” Tony chastised as he sat by Peter on the hospital bed, “Cause i’m not sure how comfortable I am letting you go off and do your Spider-man things without supervision anymore.”   


Peter leveled him with a glare, “Not like you were any different.”    


Maybe the kid had a point. Tony wound up with several broken ribs, bruises and cuts. His medical team patched him up fairly quickly but did nothing to ease the pain.    
Tony was about to reply but a loud yell stopped him:

“Where's my baby?!”   


After a bit of scuffling, May Parker barged into the room. She took one look at Peter and gasped, “Oh my God.” she ran towards the boy and pulled him into a bone breaking hug, “Oh honey, Happy told me what happened, i’m so sorry, are you OK?”

“I’m OK May.” Peter comforted, his head still snuggled against her chest, “It’s all OK.”

“OK, yes I know sweetie and- did that monster break your hand!? I swear to god-”

“No, no, I broke it myself.”   


“...Why the hell did you do that?!”

Tony chimed in, protecting Peter from May’s onslaught, “Long story, May. But he did it to protect me and don't worry, his hand will be back to normal in a week. Maybe even less.”

“You!” May suddenly exclaimed, pointing at Tony. She let go of Peter and, despite Tony’s instincts saying that she was going to slap him for putting the kid in danger, pulled him into a hug as well.    
“You saved my boy. Thank you.” she said softly.   
Tony patted her back awkwardly, “Well, he’s my boy too, so no thanks necessary.”

“Oh! That’s right!” she said, pulling away, “I’m so glad you finally told him” she said, looking at Peter. The boy blushed, looking away while Tony put two and two together. 

“You told her before you told me!” he exclaimed, “What the hell, Pete!”

“She helped me figure it out!”   


Tony furrowed his brow, “How did you find out anyway?”   


The Parker’s filled him in, Peter told him about his dreams (Tony felt his heart clench painfully) and May explained that they used his saliva. Tony felt like it was a bit creepy that they did that without his knowledge, but then again, he hired his friend to basically travel to India, dig up the grave of his dead girlfriend and fetch him some files so he had no room to judge. 

They continued to chat until Peter was starting to fall asleep, the pain medication finally taking it out of him. Tony chuckled as he watched Peter try his best to keep his drooping eyes open, snapping his head back up everytime he started to doze off. It reminded him of...of when he was a baby and he would do the same thing.

They really had a lot to talk about. About them, about the future.   
But he shoved it all down for now, cause he said before, they can take it one step at a time.    
Tony pressed a button and the bed started to lower the backrest. Peter huffed, startled, but soon calmed down as he realized he was just being laid down.    
May smiled and leaned down to kiss Peter’s forehead, “Goodnight sweetie. I’m just next door, Happy gave me a room to stay in for the night.”

“Mmm...that’s nice.”

“Sure is.”

With another kiss, May bid Tony goodnight and quietly left the room, giving the two of them a moment.

 Peter’s eyes were closed but Tony could tell he was still fighting sleep. Not holding himself back, Tony lightly started to stroke Peter’s hair, coaxing the young man to sleep. Peter hummed in content, his body relaxing completely. Tony was convinced he was passed out until Peter mumbled something.

“What was that kiddo?”

Peter repeated himself, his voice soft and eyes still closed, “So… I'm actually a Caleb?”

Tony smiled and leaned forward to kiss his Sons’ cheek, “Yeah, but you’re definitely more of a Peter.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yaaaayyyyy it finally happened!! Hope it was everything you guys were hoping for.  
> Thank you so much for the support and look forward to the final chapter!


	15. Chapter 15

“Ah!” Peter suddenly exclaimed, making Tony jump, his heart leaping into his throat..

“What?” he asked, worried. He looked over his kid, his eyes raking over his body and noted no injuries, but he never knew with Peter. He was irritatingly silent about his issues and would take his injured with him to the grave. It had been three month since the Osborn incident and while the two of them had healed up enough for Spiderman to get back into action, Tony was still weary.  

Peter looked at him, his eyes wide and concerned“I just realized that i’m actually sixteen!” 

Tony took a few seconds to collect himself from the emotional whiplash before he let out a loud sigh, settling back into the sofa. His arm was over Peter’s shoulders as the two of them were chilling together as they watched Star Wars.    
“Jeez kid.”

“I mean come on! I missed my sweet sixteen! All this time I thought I thought I was fifteen and now suddenly i'm not, it's like a year of my life has been stolen from me! Sixteen is the year I need to spend drinking and hooking up and it's all practically gone. ” 

“You better be kidding.”

“Of course I'm kidding but the pain is real.”

 Tony ruffled Peter’s hair, “Alright kid, name your present.”

“What?”

“You said it yourself, you missed your birthday.” Tony explained, “So you’re due a birthday present. Tell me what you want.”

“What like- just anything? What are my limits?”

“Do you even know who I am?” Tony asked, gesturing at his massive living room, “Sky’s the limit kid.”

“You sure? Anything I want?”

Tony nodded, not hesitating. If Peter asked him the world he would give it to him.

Peter furrowed his eyebrows, thinking hard. A minute later, he finally asked for something in a quiet voice.

“Can we...can we talk about Mom?”

Tony felt his breath catch in his throat, not expecting that.

“Unless you don't want to!” Peter said quickly, noting the shift in his father’s mood. 

“No,no, its fine.” Tony consoled, “What do you want to know?”

Peter brunched up his shoulders, looking a bit shy. “Well...what was she like?”

“She was...passionate.” Tony said, “about her life, her goals, towards science.” he ran a hand through Peter’s hair, “You’re a lot like her, you know?”

Peter raised his eyebrows, “In what way?”

“Well, you look like her to start with.” Tony said, “Same skin tone, your freckles, this birds nest.” he ruffled his Son’s hair harshly, messing up his curls. He laughed as Peter protested, allowing his hands to be swatted away. 

“You’re both incredibly optimistic and naive,” he continued, “Both so smart but so very, very dumb.”

“I’m starting to regret this. Should have just asked for a car or something.” the kid pouted but Tony knew he was just kidding. 

“You should have,” Tony snickered, his arm coming up slowly, “Too bad you’re such a good boy!” with an exclamation, Tony caught Peter in a head lock and started to rub his knuckles over his head, laughing at Peter’s attempts at breaking out. 

“Your mom’s a good boy!” Peter protested when he finally broke free. 

Tony grimaced, “Emma sucked at the comebacks too. Good thing we know its genetic and not just your natural lack of talent.”

Peter thumped Tony’s arm with the couch pillow. Tony simply grabbed it and threw it aside, after which he grabbed Peter and brought the kid towards him. Peter went along willingly, cuddling into his father’s side. He curled up, humming at the warmth and security he felt with his dad’s arm around him. 

“She loved you,” Tony said, quietly, “She loved you so, so much.”

The movie continued to play on the screen but they weren't paying attention anymore. Tony watched as the light from the screen bounced off his Son’s face. His Son. His baby boy. Finally back together with him. 

Tony pressed a hard kiss at Peter’s temple, cherishing the fact that he could.

“And I'm sure, if she's looking down at us now, she’s every bit as proud of you as I am.”

Tony had been taking things slow, so to speak. He never forced Peter to spend time with him or became invasive in his life. He kept his word when he told Peter things were going to progress the way his son wanted it to go. Thankfully, Peter seemed to want to build a relationship as well which almost made Tony burst into tears. It was his kids idea to have movie night and so far Peter has introduced Tony to various franchises (of which his favorite seems to be Star Wars) that boggled Tony’s mind. He had to admit, Peter was a bit of a dunce with his preferences but he was so passionate about them that it made Tony passionate in them too.    
He truly cherished these moments. So far, Peter stayed with Tony for two days of the week and it just wasn't enough. Tony wanted to keep his boy close, to look after him and shelter him but he couldn't just break the living situation Peter has with May. So, with the time he has, Tony treasures them. He makes sure to try and remember these moments with every single detail, to not let a single thing go by. 

Peter sniffled, cuddling into Tony’s chest. He closed his eyes as his body relaxed in his father’s arms, his tired body slowly being lulled into sleep.

“Thanks Dad.”

Tony’s heart skipped a beat and he willed his body to not start crying. Peter had started calling him Tony for awhile and now...Covering up his overwhelming emotions with a cough, he said: 

“You know, May and I were talking and there’s a proposition we have for you…”

~~~~~

A year had passed and Tony had never felt happier. 

They managed to come up with a solution to all their problems. Tony wanted Peter to live with him while May demanded the same and Peter was such a kind-hearted kid that they knew it would be downright cruel to make him pick (assuming he could pick, which they doubted as well). So, in the end, Tony and May became neighbors, living right opposite each other as they moved into a fairly upscale apartment. The rent was more expensive, but with Tony buying the ownership rights to the place, he managed to set their rent lower (as the Parkers were still stubbornly humble and refused to live for free, despite Tony assuring them that he could pay for them). This meant that Peter could simply walk out the door and into the house of the other guardian which was perfect so Peter didn't have to choose who he lived with. Tony practically lived in May’s house anyway, turning his own into a mini-lab/ entertainment center. 

The three of them always ate their meals together, had family movie nights, family game night, basically any activity that interested the boy, he would somehow drag the two adults with him. It was adorable and domestic and not something Tony ever thought he would be a part of : a normal, functional family. 

He loved it.

~~~~~

Three years later, Spiderman was recruited into something called ‘The Avengers Initiative’ and Tony absolutely hated it. 

“Dad?” Peter called out from the couch, his head tilted towards his father. The said man was in the kitchen, furiously cutting some vegetables.

“Daaaad” Peter called out again, a tired tone in his voice. Again, no response. 

The young adult threw his head back and sighed, “dad, can we please just talk?”

“Talk about what, Peter?” Tony snapped, ramming the knife into the board. He folded his arms over his chest and huffed, “You take this job of fighting bad guys with other super powered people, to put yourself in danger all the time without even letting me know and now you’re surprised im upset?”

“I’m sorry I didn't tell you but I knew you would react this way.”

“That’s not an excuse and you know it.”

“I know, I know.” Peter raised his arms in defeat, “I just wanted to make this decision on my own. I  _ want  _ to do this, dad. I  _ want  _ to help people.”

Tony sighed, shoulders slumping: “I know you do, buddy. I just hate that you’re going to be out there, fighting bad guys alone.”

“I’ve been doing that for years.”

“Yes, but these are not petty thieves and muggers, Pete.” Tony said, seriously, “These are bad people, the lowest of the low and trust me, I know what I'm talking about.”

“Well, I'm not going to be alone.” Peter countered, “I’m going to have a team of people right beside me. And I'll also have you.”

Tony raised his eyebrows, puzzled. “What?”

“Well,” Peter said with a smirk, “I wanted to ask if you would like to work on my suit again. No, wait that came out bad. Make me a new suit. Nope, that was much worse.”

“Peter.” Tony interjected. If Peter started to ramble he would never stop. 

“...I think a new suit would help out a lot. The old spiderman suit is great but I have a few suggestions, if you’re open to it.” Tony hesitated which made Peter continue: “And it would be like old times. You and me working in the lab together.”

The kid knew what he was doing. He knew Tony was a sucker for sentimental bonding. Tony knew, but he let himself be persuaded anyway. 

“Fine.” he sighed, smiling when he saw the ear to ear grin Peter sported, “But fair warning, I will be installing an AI into your suit and it will be tracking your every move. If I catch you being reckless nothing will stop me from putting on my suit and dragging you back home by the ear.”

Peter nodded, not impressed. “That will make a good impression on my new friends.”

~~~~~

“Peter, what’s this about?” May asked as her nephew dragged her into the living room. 

Peter smiled, “I just have something important to tell you.”

May sat down on the couch and watched as Peter plopped down on the table opposite her, visibly nervous. He rubbed his palms together to warm himself up, a nervous habit he had. 

“Everything ok?”

“Yeah, yeah, everything's fine. Just a bit…”

May placed a comforting hand on Peter’s knee, “Honey, you can tell me anything.”

“Right.” he took a deep breath:

“Im 21.” he started off, “I’m sure you’ve wondered about my relationships, my...romantic relationships before and you’re probably thinking about that more now that I'm growing older.” he took a deep breath, “And I've finally come to terms about who i am that it doesn't seem fair to keep you in the dark about this.”

Another deep breath:

“I am...asexual and aromantic.”

May raised her eyebrows, a bit shocked. Not what she expected.

“W-What exactly does that mean?” she asked, clearly confused. 

“Well,” Peter said, “To put it simply, it means that I am not interested in having romantic or sexual relationships.”

“Wh- ever?”

Peter shrugged, “Yeah, pretty much. It’s not something I want.”

“Have you never been attracted to someone?”

“No, I mean, I do find people attractive. I just have no desire to date them or have sex with them.”

“But what if you get lonely? What if you move out one day and live on your own and it hits you that you’re in some house all by yourself?”

“Being in a relationship doesn't automatically mean that you cant be lonely, May.” Peter said, calmly, “Not to mention that one can find company in all sorts of places. I have you, my dad, my friends, maybe a pet. Having a lover is not the only way to find happiness with other people.”

May furrowed her brow, a worried expression in her eyes.

“Stop looking at me like I've been diagnosed with a terminal illness.”

“Right, yes of course, I'm sorry.” May instantly said when she realized how hurtful she was being, “It’s just...i’m trying to understand.”

“I know.” Peter empathized. He got up and sat next to her, “It’s not that I didn't try. I tried going out with people but it never...felt right. You know? Like I was forcing myself to do something because everyone around me was doing it. I never felt anything while i was dating people, no romantic or sexual feelings and just the thought of pushing myself, to try and be romantically intimate just...kind of made me feel sick.”

He took May’s hand in his, “I’ve had a lot of time to think about this. Trust me, this is who I am.”

“Oh, honey, of course.” May said, pulling Peter in for a hug, “I’m sorry i bombarded you with questions, that’s not what this is about.” She stroked the back of his head, “I’m so proud of you Peter and I will always love and accept you.”

Peter snuggled into her shoulder, hugging her back tightly as he tried to not cry, “Thanks May.” he said, his voice muffled by her sweater. 

They pulled apart, May stroked a kind hand through his hair another time before she asked: “Have you told your father?”

Peter sighed, “Not yet. He’s coming back from that business trip tonight, so I thought I'll tell him then.”

“Nervous?”

“A little.”

“Well, don't be.” she said firmly, “He’s your father and you know better than anyone else how much he loves you.”

“I know.”

~~~~~

“I’m asexual and aromantic.”

Tony looked up from his desk, the product he was tinkering with long forgotten. 

“What?”

“Ok, so asexual means-”

“Yeah, I know what it all means.” Tony interrupted, “you’re ace?”.

“And aro.” Peter added. 

Tony remained stoic for a whole two seconds before a smile lit up his face. He got off his chair and took Peter by the shoulders. 

“That’s great.” he said, with so much love in his eyes, his hands grasping onto his Sons shoulders tighter, “That is wonderful! I'm so proud of you, thank you for telling me.”

“R-Really?” Peter asked, his own grin coming through. 

“Yes, really!” Tony exclaimed, “Honestly the fact that you even considered that I would not accept you is offensive to me. I am deeply hurt.”

Peter just laughed as Tony pulled him in for a hug. He hugged his father back tightly, chuckling as kisses were placed on his head. Tony was right, he had nothing to be worried about. 

“But you made a huge mistake kid.”

“Yeah? What’s that?”

“Now that I know you’re not going to have a romantic partner, it will be extra hard to get me out of your life.”

Peter laughed, hugging his father tighter, “What a shame.”

~~~~~

“I’m so proud of you! Come here.” Tony pulled Peter in and peppered his cheek with kisses, his grip tight yet loving. 

“Dad, dad!” Peter laughed, squirming, “I’m going to be late.”

“Your the boss now, you can't ‘be late’ and if anybody does tell you that, fire them.”

“Now I'm starting to understand why your employees were so excited that I was taking over.”

“Don't be a smartass.” Tony reminded, flicking Peter’s nose. The pout Peter gave in response was so cute that Tony forgot for a second that his boy was 25, “Just because you're the boss of the company, doesn't mean you’re the boss of me.”

“Wouldn't dream of it.” Peter said, trying to not roll his eyes, “Besides, I'm not the boss just yet.”

“Quit the avengers and you will be.”

“That’s not gonna work.”

“I know. Worth a shot.”

Peter and Tony were in a dual partnership of sorts. They both were heads of the company and took turns leading the business. Mostly, it would come in handy when Peter needed to go off and do Spiderman business. Tony had been trying to get the boy to quit the avengers but his heart was no longer in it. He knew that Peter was doing good work, saving people and helping the world with the Iron-Spider suit. The pure smile Peter had when he successfully pulled off a mission was worth all the mini-heart attacks Tony experiences on a daily basis. 

“Look at you.” Tony said, with adoration. He patted Peter’s shoulder, smoothing down the wrinkles on his suit. It was Peter’s first day as active (part time) CEO. It was a big moment. 

“I dress up good, don't I?” 

“Considering that two hours ago you woke up in cheese stained sweatpants and spiked up hair, yes, you do.”

“You’re just jealous you don't have my style.”

“Your style is my style, you copy everything I do.”

“That’s just not true. I adapt your style into something better.”

Tony was about to snark back when a memory he had locked away suddenly resurfaced. The change in mood must have caught Peter off guard as well. 

“Dad? You ok?”

“Yeah,” Tony said, nodding, “...I’m going to get very real you for a second, so get ready.”

Peter, being the adorable man child he is, just stuttered for a second before nodding.

“...You probably don't remember the last thing I told you before you were sent away.” Tony said, smoothing Peter’s hair, “I told you to be better.”

“Better?”

“Better than me. Better than my family. Better than all of us.” Peter gave his father a smile, not knowing exactly how to react.

“You didn't become better.” Tony said, grasping Peter’s face in his hands, “You became the best.”

Peter swallowed a lump in his throat, “Thanks Dad.”

“I love you buddy.”

“I love you too.” 

They hugged and Tony couldn't be more mixed up inside. He was so happy, so very very happy to be living his life with his Son, his baby boy who he thought had been lost forever. But now that he’s here, Tony hates how quickly he’s growing up. It seems like just yesterday he met Peter, the idiotic pure hearted boy who was stupid enough to challenge Iron Man (and almost got killed by Iron Man whoops) and now, here he was. A superhero, a CEO, a damn good person that the world is lucky to have. Tony is constantly baffled by the fact that such a loving and kind human being is his flesh and blood, but then he sees so much of Emma in his boy and he stops being confused. Tony was blessed with a wonderful human being and he couldn't be prouder of how he turned out. The two of them had been through a lot together and Tony wouldn't trade it for the world. 

Being a father was the best thing that could have ever happened to him. 

And Peter was the best Son anyone could ask for and was only going to get better from here on. 

Tony couldn't wait for the future. 

~~~~~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hooooooly shit its finally over.  
> Im so sorry it took so long to finish this chapter. I know some of you might be dissapointed and i'm sorry for that but the reason this was so late was because i was stressing out about how to conclude this story. In the end, i stopped stressing and just wrote from the heart what i wanted Peter and Tony to experience as they grew older and this is what came out. It's not perfect but hey, it makes me happy and hopefully it made some of you happy too.  
> Thank you all for the support and love you shared with me for each chapter. This story has been a wonderful experience for me, mostly because of all of you. I know I didn't reply to the comments before because of how many there were, but please feel free to comment on this chapter. I would love to reply to each of you as this story closes.   
> Thank you for sticking around for so long! Love you loads and have a wonderful new year!


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